Sweet dreams my love
by Love2readaway
Summary: "You can't prevent a Castle from sleeping with his girl." The sleeping chronicles of the Castle family.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

It was nice, for once, to get home early and be able to enjoy some time with Castle and…

The loft was dark, all the lights out but the one over the kitchen counter. It was really quiet too.

"Rick?" she called, her voice echoing off the walls of the open living room. No one answered. She started towards his study, dropping her bag and coat on the couch as she passed. Three feet from the threshold a distant chuckle reached her ears. It had come from upstairs. She headed up, and as she got to the top landing, she turned into the dark hallway. She heard splashing coming from the bathroom down the hall. The door was cracked open, a small sliver of light cast over the hall's floor. Crossing the long corridor, she pushed the door open and stuck her head inside.

"Hey! Look who's here!" he exclaimed happily. The three of them sat in the big bathtub, surrounded by bubbles that reached and poured over the edge of the tub, and their faces and heads covered with foam. She couldn't help but smile at the endearing picture.

"Momma!" the high-pitched voice of her son called, a big smile on his face. "I have a beard!"

"I can see that," she chuckled.

The baby girl in Castle's arms flashed a dazzling grin in her mother's direction, showing four tiny white teeth. The foam on her head made her look like a shark.

Kate walked over to them, minding not to slide over the water pooled on the tiled bathroom floor, and knelt by the tub. She reached with her hand and wiped away the fake beard from the 3 year old boy's face. Leaning over the edge, she kissed his red lips. The 9 month old girl was next. Kate's face got all wet from the baby's damp cheeks. Last, Castle leaned forward, careful not to drop the girl in his arms, and pressed his lips to Kate's. His free hand came to the back of her neck and held her in place. When he let her go, she was all covered in foam.

"Castle!" she complained, but the kids exploded into laughter and she couldn't stay mad for long. Castle flashed his teeth in a triumphant grin. "Let me see your hands," Kate told her son. He quickly threw his arms up in the air, splashing water in her direction.

"Oops," he shrugged, an innocent smile on his face. She took his hands in hers and examined them; his little palms and fingers were very wrinkled. Her gaze turned to Castle.

"How long have you been in here?" Beckett frowned at him, but she didn't give him the chance to answer before she continued. "They look like 90 year old kids," she scolded. She felt her son cradle her face with his wet hands, and he turned her head so their eyes met, hazel looking into hazel.

"Play with us, mommy?" he asked softly. And as much as she tried, she couldn't deny _that look_ anything. He may have inherited her eye colour, but he had the same pleading ability to put puppy-dog eyes like his father.

She pretended to ponder for a minute, puckering her lips to the side. Still holding her face close to his, her son waited with expectant and hopeful eyes.

"Okay…, ten minutes."

She stripped off and got in the tub. Good thing it was big enough for the four of them. The boy immediately came to sit on her lap and rested his head on her shoulder. The baby girl extended her chubby arms towards her mother and Kate reached for her. In a blink, Castle found himself all alone at the one end of the bathtub.

"So, that's it? Mommy comes home and I'm abandoned?" he whimpered. A chuckle escaped from the boy's lips. "Did he just laugh?" Castle asked, faking astonishment.

"I think he just did," Kate answered with a grin.

Castle moved closer to them and directed his gaze to his son's face. "Did you just laugh at your father's misery?" The boy shook his head, his hands pressed over his mouth, and his eyes crinkled with the smile he was trying to hide. "I think you know what that means, don't you?" Castle said. In a flash, he scooped the boy in his arms, balanced him mid air, and loudly blew a raspberry on his belly.

"No daddy!" The kid squealed and laughed out loud, his legs kicking and splashing water and foam everywhere, as his father blew a second and third raspberry on his tummy. "Stop!" he shrieked, panting. The baby started laughing too and soon turned red.

"Castle, enough," Kate chuckled. "They'll choke."

Both kids gasped for air, their eyes filled with happy tears. When their breathing had returned to normal, the boy's mouth opened into a big yawn and his sister joined him.

"Bed time," Beckett said. Handing the girl over to Castle, she stood and stepped out of the tub. Pulling on a bathrobe, she grabbed a couple of towels and wrapped one around the girl Castle was holding out. He too got out of the bath, put a towel around his waist and pulled the boy out of the water.

"Why don't you get them to bed," he said as he handed her their son.

"Yeah."

"I'll clean this mess up." He placed a kiss on the kids' foreheads as he murmured a 'Good night'.

Kate started towards the baby girl's bedroom with the two kids in her arms. She put the boy on the floor and sat the baby down on the changing table.

"Can I sleep with her, mommy?" the boy asked as she dried the baby's skin and put on a diaper. He'd been asking the same for three days now.

"No, I'm sorry love, she's too small," she answered as she got the baby in her jammies.

"I won't her hurt," he whined, his voice slightly shaky.

she turned her head and looked down at him. "Sweetie, when you're asleep, you don't know what you do, and you could roll over her by accident," she explained in a gentle tone. His eyes teared and he started to cry. Picking up the baby, she walked over to the crib and laid her down. The boy, sobbing, followed her, dragging the big towel he was wrapped in over the floor. Kate kissed the baby's forehead and wrapped the sheets tight around her small body. Her lids were already half-closed, hiding her big blue eyes.

"I won't hurt her," the boy said again between sobs. "I love her."

Kate knelt down at his height and looked at him. His eyes were red and big tears rolled down his cheeks. She opened her arms and the boy fell into them. As she rose, her son wrapped his arms around her neck and rested his head on her shoulder. She held him tight against her chest, and rubbed his back to soothe him. He had the hiccups from so much crying. She walked into his bedroom and sat on the bed. He started to shiver and could barely stay on his feet; he was exhausted. Kate rubbed him with the towel, dried his brown hair and wiped away the tears. She put on his PJ's and tucked him in under the covers.

"Can we see Alexis tomorrow?" he whispered.

"Well…, tomorrow is Saturday, so I think we could call her to see if she's free," she murmured softly.

He nodded, his eyelids growing heavier with sleep. She brushed back the long locks of hair from his forehead, and kissed his cheek.

"Sweet dreams my love." She wrapped the sheets tight around his body and walked out, leaving the door slightly open.

There was still light coming from the bathroom. She went in to check what was taking Castle so long. When she stepped inside she saw why. The room was lit by dozens of candles and the smell of lavender enveloped her; he sat in the bathtub waiting for her. A sexy smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she slipped out of her robe, letting it fall to the floor at her feet. His eyes roamed hungrily over her body. She slowly approached the tub, got into the water and settled between his legs, leaning her back against his chest. His arms wrapped around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What was that all about?" he asked in a soft voice, pushing her hair back from her temple.

"Your son, throwing a tantrum. He wanted to sleep in the crib with the baby," she explained, amusement tinging her tone.

"Aren't we lucky," he murmured in her ear.

She tilted her head and looked up at him. "Yes, we are." She pressed her lips to his jaw.

* * *

Kate woke up the next day to the morning light streaming in through the half-drawn curtains. She propped herself up on her elbows and glanced towards the alarm clock. Something felt off, out of place. It was way past the time when one or both kids were up and filled the house with their screams or laughter. She grabbed the baby phone from the nightstand; it was on and working just fine. But as she took a good look at the small monitor screen she saw something odd in the baby's crib. She kicked the sheets aside and rushed upstairs. When she reached the baby's bedroom she stopped short, her hand resting over her racing heart. She quietly walked over to the crib. Her son lay in the small bed with his sister. They were cutely huddled, facing one another, and the boy had an arm draped protectively over his sister's waist. A smile spread on Kate's face. She reached for the baby phone on a shelf near the crib, and brought it up to her mouth.

"Castle," she whispered softly, trying not to wake the children. "Castle! You gotta come up see this!"

"What?" came his husky voice, deep with sleep, through the monitor.

"Get upstairs. You've got to see this," she murmured, and then added, "Bring your phone."

A minute later, he appeared at the threshold, his hair ruffled, and wearing a sweatshirt over his T-shirt and flannel pajama pants.

"What is it?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes and coming to stand next to her. She motioned down and his gaze dropped to the crib. "Oh!"

"Take a picture," she whispered to him. He lifted the phone and snapped a couple of photos.

"You know what this means, don't you?" he chuckled near her ear. She looked up at him with an arched brow. He continued, "He's gonna sneak inside her crib every night."

* * *

**Hope you liked it! This short piece just popped into my head, and I had to write it down! **

**Thank you so much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

_2 months later…_

It had been going on for the past two months, since he first sneaked into her crib. Whenever he woke in the middle of the night, he got out of his bed, quietly walked into her room and climbed into her cot.

Every morning, when she'd wake up, Kate wouldn't know where she would find him. Half the times, he'd be in his room. Sometimes, they would be asleep together in her crib. And a few times, she'd woken up hearing, through the baby monitor, the two of them playing and laughing inside the baby's cot.

* * *

He blinked his eyes open and turned on his back. It was dark. He stared at the glowing stars on the ceiling. Dad and he had stuck them together. It had taken them a whole morning because they had wanted them to look like the real night sky. First, daddy had helped him put the adhesive dots on the stars. Then they had climbed on his bed and dad had taken him in his arms and lifted him high above his head so he could stick the stars, one by one, to the ceiling.

Now, looking up, he could see all the constellations he and dad had put together. Orion, Cassiopeia, and the Big and Little Bear. Pisces was there too, his zodiac sign, mom had told him, though he didn't really know what it meant. Momma and daddy's signs were on his ceiling as well, Scorpio and Aries. Now, they had to add his baby sister's and his starry night would be complete. _His baby sister_…

He slid out of bed, grabbed his stuffed bunny and crossed the hall. Trying not to make noise, he approached the crib and looked between the bars. It was empty, she was not there. _Where was she?_ He climbed onto the chair under the shelf and stood on the tips of his toes.

* * *

"Momma," she heard her son's distant soft whisper. "Momma!"

She turned and felt with her hand for the baby phone on her nightstand. She pressed the intercom button and talked into the monitor. "What?" her voice sounded husky with sleep.

"Where is Gigi?" he asked, using the nickname he had given his baby sister a couple of weeks after she was born. Kate had no idea how he'd come up with the name, but there was no way to take it off his mind, and he'd been using it for so long, almost everyone called her Gigi now.

"Sweetie, go back to bed," she murmured. "It's late." The baby had been up, crying, 'till late in the night. She and Castle had managed to get the girl to sleep just an hour ago.

"Where is she?" he asked again, raising his voice.

"She's here with me," she answered in a soft tone. "Now, go back to bed."

"Okay."

She sighed, put the monitor down and turned on her side again, holding her daughter close. She could hear her heavy breathing. Two minutes later, she was drifting back into sleep when she heard him again.

"Momma?"

She blindly reached for the baby monitor again; instead her fingers found his small hand. She turned, opening her eyes. He was standing by the bed, next to her head.

"Honey, what?" she murmured, a tinge of roughness in her voice. Her throat was dry, she swallowed.

"I want to sleep with Gigi," he whispered close to her face. She propped herself up on one elbow and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Honey, Gigi is sick. She has a cold. If you sleep with her, you'll get sick too," she explained to him.

"Is-is she going to be okay?" he murmured.

"Yes, she just needs some rest." She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and took him in her arms. "Let's get you to bed." He put his arms around her neck and rested his chin on her shoulder.

She walked upstairs and laid him under the covers. Kissing his cheek, she said him _Good night_ and went back to her bed.

* * *

He pushed the sheets aside and jumped off his bed. At the top of the landing, he sat on the last step and slid down on his butt, one step at a time, until he reached the bottom of the stairs. He then crossed the living room, softly pushed the slightly ajar bedroom door open and tiptoed to the foot of the big bed. Gigi lay next to mom in the middle of the mattress, but there was still room for him between Gigi and dad. Very gently, so no one would wake up, he climbed onto the bed and crawled up the mattress until he reached his dad's pillow. Careful not to jolt her, he bent down and kissed his baby sister's forehead. Then he scooted under the comforter and rested his head on his father's arm. Daddy stirred and sighed in his sleep, but didn't wake, and then hugged him close to his chest. Slowly, he stretched his arm towards his sister and took her hand in his. Closing his eyes, he quickly fell asleep.

* * *

She opened her eyes. It was early, the first morning light coming in through the curtains. She focused her eyes on the little face in front of her. Still asleep, the baby had dropped her pink pacifier. A bit of mucus trickled down from her stuffy nose and she was breathing heavily through her mouth. She brushed the brown curls from the girl's sweaty forehead and checked her temperature with the back of her hand. Gigi's skin felt warm but the fever from last night had definitely gone down.

Kate's gaze caught a small movement and she looked over the baby's head. _How? When did _he_ get here? _With his back to her, he lay nestled against Castle, one of his arms thrown over his father's neck. A smile turned up the corners of her lips._ This kid was unbelievable_…

But… how could she get mad with him for loving _his_ Gigi so much?

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**Thank you so much for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: For the ones who haven't read my other stories, let's suppose Martha is living in the same building as the Castle's. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

_4 weeks later…_

The three of them were on their ride up to the fourth floor. Castle had Gigi in his arms and Oliver, carrying a backpack on his back, kept bouncing on his feet and running around his father's legs. The boy was beyond excited. He'd been invited to a sleepover at uncle Ryan's, and he would be playing with Bianca all evening. It wasn't the first time he was sleeping away from home; he'd spend nights with grandma Martha and grandpa Jim, but never at his uncle's and never with a playmate, his best friend and cousin Bianca.

The elevator doors opened to the first floor and Castle had to grab his son by the collar of his shirt before he ran off.

"Oliver, not there yet," he said. An officer stepped inside the car with them. "What did we talk about at home?" Castle asked. The boy turned and looked up at his father. The officer tried to conceal a smile.

"I… will not scream," he said in a high pitch voice, dragging out the words and holding up one finger. "…yell…," he added a second finger. "…oooor shout!" He flashed his small white teeth in a triumphant smile.

"_And?_" Castle arched his brows questioningly.

Oliver pouted his lips and tilted his head to one side, pondering. "Oh! And no running!" he jumped.

"Alright."

They reached the homicide floor and the doors slid open. The boy rushed out of the elevator before Castle could take hold of him. He heard the officer chuckle next to him.

"Kids," Castle shrugged and grinned.

* * *

"Momma, momma, momma, momma, momma!"

_All the precinct knew he was here_, she thought. She pushed back with her hands and rolled her chair away from her desk. She turned the seat and Oliver collided into her knees. He started talking loudly and excitedly.

"Momma, I had ice cream! Where are uncle Ryan and uncle Espo?" She covered his mouth and shushed him.

"Will you keep your voice down?" she chuckled, running her fingers through his long light brown hair that almost touched his shoulders. "You don't need to be so loud when I'm right next to you, love."

"Sorry mom," he mumbled softly against the palm of her hand, his eyes crinkled in amusement.

"Much better," she grinned and helped him out of his backpack and tossed it onto Castle's chair. "Now, give me a kiss," she bent down and he took her face in both his hands and kissed her lips. She kept her son trapped between her legs so he wouldn't run away.

Castle arrived with the one year old in his arms. "Hi hon," he leaned down and pecked her lips.

"Hi." She kissed the baby girl too. "Hi Romy," she cooed.

Oliver's head snapped up, hearing the voices from his uncles coming from around a corner and he tried to get out of his mother's vise grip.

"Hey! It's the Castle family," Espo called when the two detectives stepped into the bull pen.

"Hey guys!" Castle waved with his free arm. Kate let go of Oliver and he ran off to Esposito and Ryan, who had stopped by their desks.

"Hey kid!" said Ryan as the boy crashed into his legs.

"Castle junior!" Esposito exclaimed and crouched at the boy's height. "Give me the box partner!" Oliver fisted his right hand and touched it to Espo's knuckles. Kate watched over from her desk, a smile tugging at her lips.

Gigi started squirming and whimpering in Castle's arms, and he put her down on the floor. She'd started walking ten days ago and since then she didn't want to be in anybody's arms. All she wanted was to be set on the floor and walk around.

Beckett rose from her chair and Castle put an arm around her back, pressing her lightly against his side. She kept an eye on the baby girl, making sure she didn't wander off.

"My mother is taking Gigi tonight," he whispered in her ear. She turned her gaze to him.

"No kids?" she murmured. He shook his head, arching one brow and smirking wickedly.

"No kids. Just you and me," he said against her lips. She smiled as he quickly kissed her. She couldn't remember the last time Castle and she had been alone for one night. And she had the weekend off too, meaning she didn't have to get up early the next morning. She took a step away from Castle as the detectives approached, Esposito carrying Oliver under his armpit.

"Gigi! Stay here," Castle called. A few feet away, the girl turned her face to him and smiled. She looked so cute in her grey tie waist cuffed shorts, a sleeveless white blouse and golden sandals; her wavy brown hair held back with a hair band.

"She looks more and more like you every day boss," Ryan mentioned.

"More than you know," Castle chuckled. "She's just as stubborn and independent- Ouch!" Kate nudged his side and frowned at him. "She's adorable," he added in a strangled voice. The boys chuckled and Oliver laughed out loud. A smug smile spread on Kate's lips.

"When are we leaving?" Oliver asked, patting Ryan's arm.

"Well… I'm ready to go. You?" the boy nodded eagerly. "Because aunt Jenny says Bianca has been asking for you all day long," Ryan added.

"Alright then," Beckett said, handing her son his backpack. "Here's-" her eyes snapped up and scanned the bull pen. "Where's Romy?" she asked.

"She was just here," Castle said, bending over and looking under the desks.

"The stairs!" Kate gasped and hurried to the stairway. Everyone scattered around looking for the toddler, calling out her name.

"Detective!" Gates voice came from the door to her office. "I think you're looking for this?" She was holding a smiling Gigi in her arms.

Beckett crossed the bull pen and took the girl from the Captain. "I'm so sorry, sir," she apologized, conscious that Gates wasn't very keen on having little children in the precinct.

"She sneaked inside my office. Is she that eager to follow her mother's steps, detective?" the Captain joked, a hint of a smile tugging up the corners of her lips.

"I really hope not, sir," Kate answered quickly.

The captain pursed her lips, concealing a smirk. "Did we finish all the paperwork?" Gates asked, looking at the three detectives.

"Yes, sir," replied Esposito. "We—"

"Well, then. Have a good weekend," the Captain said as a way of ending the conversation and sending them off. Then she got back into her office.

* * *

"Kate, are you ready?" he asked walking into the bedroom with Romy in his arms and a diaper bag slung over his shoulder. She sat at the foot of the bed, tying the straps of her high heel shoes around her ankles.

"Done," she smiled and stood up.

"Whoa!" he breathed out at the sight of her. She was wearing a sleeveless dark blue boat neckline tweed tulip dress, with a thin white belt around her waist. She walked over to him, purposely swaying her hips, and placed a finger under his slack jaw.

"You don't look that bad yourself… Castle," she whispered sensually over his lips. She then took the baby girl from his arms and headed towards the front door. He quickly followed her and locked the loft behind them.

They rode the elevator one floor down, got out and knocked on Martha's door.

"Hey!" she said swinging the front door wide open. Romy reached with her arms towards Martha and she took the toddler from Kate. "Wow! Look at you all dressed up!" she looked at Kate. "Big plans tonight?"

"I'm taking my beautiful wife to dinner," Castle said, handing his mother the diaper bag and wrapping an arm around Beckett's waist.

"Well, you kids enjoy the night out and… have _fun_," she winked at Kate. "Gigi and I will be fine." She took the girl's hand and waved. "Say bye to mom and dad!"

Kate leaned in and pressed her lips to her daughter's forehead and hurried inside the elevator Castle was holding for them.

"Bye sweetheart!" she called before the doors closed.

* * *

He took her to a chique French restaurant. The place was dimly lit by candles set on the cozy small tables. Their waitress appeared with their first courses and placed them in front of them.

"Did you talk with Gates about-" he started saying.

"Oh, yeah! It's all worked out," she smiled. "She gave me three weeks. We can leave next Thursday for The Hamptons."

"Three weeks? Wow, that's generous."

"Well, we haven't had a proper vacation since Romy was born." She sipped her wine. "And it's just too warm for the kids here in the city." Her phone rang and she fished it out of her purse. "Oh god," she winced, looking up at him, "It's Ryan." She brought the cell to her ear. "Beckett." She listened and nodded. "Oh, good!" she sighed in relief. Smiling, she reached out and patted Castle's hand, reassuring. She covered the mouthpiece and whispered to him, "Oliver wants to say good night." She heard her son's voice on the phone. "Hi love! You going to bed now?" She was quiet as she listened and then she hummed, "Okay baby. Good night…, I love you… Bye."

She slipped her cell back in her purse and smiled. "For a moment I thought-"

"I know," he finished for her.

Forty minutes later, just as they were having dessert, her phone beeped. She pulled it out and opened an image file.

"Aww! How cute!" she beamed. "Castle, look at this!" She handed him the cell, a picture filling the screen. It was Oliver and Ryan's daughter, Bianca, both asleep in bed and hugging each other. The girl was six months younger than Oliver and looked exactly like her mother, beautiful long blond hair, fair freckled skin and green eyes.

"He's quite the ladies man, isn't he?" he said smugly. "Must have inherited his father's charming genes." She just bit on her bottom lip and shook her head, trying to hide her amusement.

* * *

On the ride up to the loft he held her close to him, her body pressed against his. His arms moved around her waist and settled low at the small of her back. She rested hers over his shoulders, her fingers brushing the hair at the back of his neck.

"I'm gonna spoil you tonight," he murmured against her jaw.

"Wasn't dinner enough?" she whispered contentedly.

"Not even remotely," he kissed the corner of her mouth. "First a bubble bath, then a massage, and after that…" he trailed off and wiggled his brows at her, giving her a meaningful look.

"Oh, really…" she breathed as his mouth brushed over the skin of her neck.

"A night without kids? We've got to thoroughly take advantage of the situation."

"Shhh… Don't say it too much or you'll jinx it," she caught his bottom lip between her teeth.

They stumbled out of the elevator and inside the loft and she immediately stirred them towards the bedroom. "Let's start with… _dessert_ first," she mumbled, getting rid of his jacket and undoing the buttons of his shirt. "Just in case."

* * *

She lay draped over his chest and his hand moved up and down her naked spine. "Should I start running the water for the bath?" he murmured.

"Do you hear that?" she asked, lifting and tilting her head to the side. She could swear she'd just heard…

"What?" Just as he strained his ear, someone knock on the door. They looked at each other with the same expression on their faces.

"Romy," they said together. She quickly got out of bed, put on her panties, pulled an oversized t-shirt over her head, and exited the bedroom. Castle followed her in sweat pants. They could hear the desperate crying of their daughter in the hallway at the other side of the front door. Kate swung it open and saw Martha wearing a robe over her night gown and carrying a red-faced sobbing Romy in her arms, wrapped in a blanket. Big tears rolled down her already wet cheeks. When the girl saw her mother she immediately reached for her.

"Mom-ma," she hiccupped. Kate swiftly took her and held her tight against her chest.

"I'm so sorry kiddos," Martha apologized. "But she's been crying for half an hour now…, and the neighbors were starting to complain."

"It's alright mother." Castle stood next to Kate and rubbed Gigi's back soothingly.

"It's okay Martha," Kate reassured her mother-in-law. "Thank you." Romy nestled her face into the crook of her shoulder, dampening her t-shirt with tears. The wailing subsided and turned into soft whimpers and hiccups.

"I don't know if she's hungry," Martha told them. "She only had half her bottle before I put her to sleep."

"Thank you Martha."

"See you tomorrow darlings," she said and started towards the elevator.

"Good night mother." He closed the door and Kate moved to the couch and sat down. "Should I prepare a bottle for her?" he asked softly, walking towards the kitchen.

"Yes," she whispered. She shifted Romy in her arms so she was lying across her chest and wrapped the blanket tight around her small quivering body. The baby girl looked up at her with puffed red eyes, a couple of tears glistening on her eyelashes. She bent her head and softly kissed her nose and damp cheeks.

"Here." Castle handed her the bottle. She took it and brought it to Romy's mouth. She started drinking, one of her tiny hands holding her mother's wrist. He settled next to Kate on the couch, putting an arm around her shoulders and taking one of the baby's feet in his other hand. They watched as Romy drank her milk, her eyelids half closed. Her deep breathing and sucking were the only sounds in the quiet big living room. Every now and then, she would make a soft humming sound of contentment. Her small fingers didn't loosen from her grip on Kate's wrist. A few minutes later the silence was broken by the ringing of a phone.

"Oh my god," Kate muttered, knowing what was coming.

Castle found her cell and answered. "Castle." He sat on an armchair across from Kate. "Hey Ryan… Yeah," he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Alright, yeah. Thanks… Be right there."

"Oliver?"

"Yep, he wants to come home-"

"-come home," she said with him. He stood up and walked to the bedroom. A minute later he came back, all dressed and his cell phone in hand.

"I'll be right back," he bent down and gave her a small kiss on the lips.

* * *

When he got to Ryan's apartment, he found Oliver snuggled on the couch against Jenny's side. Castle crouched in front of him.

"Hey kid," he murmured and his son threw his arms around his father's neck. "You wanna go home?" He felt Oliver nod against his shoulder. He stood up, pulling the boy in his arms. Oliver pressed his cheek against Castle's neck, his eyes drifting closed.

"I'm sorry man," Ryan said, handing him Oliver's bag.

"Maybe next time?" Jenny said softly, looking at Oliver. The boy nodded again and she smiled sweetly and ran her hand over his hair.

"Thank you for the trouble guys," he kissed Jenny's cheek and shook Ryan's hand.

* * *

It was just a little after midnight when he unlocked the door and let himself in, carrying a sleeping Oliver in his arms. He'd fallen asleep the minute they had gotten into the town car when they'd left Ryan's home. He shut the door, stepped out of his shoes and climbed up the stairs. A soft light came out from Gigi's bedroom and poured over the hallway's floor. He peered inside and saw Kate in the corner's armchair with her arms around Gigi's back, who was lying against her chest. He quietly walked over and knelt beside them, careful not to jostle Oliver. Kate was asleep but Gigi had her big blue eyes open, a thumb in her mouth and her head over her mother's heart.

"Hi baby girl," his voice was barely a whisper. She extended her arm and touched Oliver's cheek with her fingertips. "I'm gonna put your brother in bed." He rose and turned, heading to Oliver's bedroom. The baby girl started fussing, reaching out with her arms towards the boy in Castle's arms.

"What is it?" Kate asked, waking up, and her voice a bit husky. "Oh, hi," she said when she saw Castle was back.

"I think she wants Oliver."

She grunted. "Just put him in her crib. It's late and I'm too tired…" she trailed off.

Castle put Oliver inside the baby's cot, and picked Gigi up from Kate's arms and laid her next to her brother. The girl turned on her side, threw an arm over Oliver's waist and closed her eyes.

Castle turned his gaze back to Kate, her eyes were closed again. He walked over to her, took her hands in his and gently tugged at them, pulling her up.

"Let's get you to bed, Mrs. Castle."

* * *

**Really hope you liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

_3 weeks and 5 days later…_

It couldn't get any better. Summer, perfect sunny weather, vacationing in The Hamptons with her husband and kids for three long weeks… Everyday sand and sea, long evening walks along the boulevard, cuddling every night out on the porch in Castle's arms, the fresh salty breeze on her face… Life couldn't get any better.

That day, like most days, they had spent all morning at the beach and around noon they had had lunch at home. Afterwards the kids had taken a nap, together of course, and mom and dad had had their own kind of grown-up nap.

At half past four in the afternoon she sat in a lounge chair on the side porch, under the shadow of a tree, reading a book in her bikini. In the background, she could hear the splashing of water as Castle played with the kids in the swimming pool. Their laughter, the kids' high-pitched giggles and Castle's deep guffaws, reached her from across the lawn. She could see them to her left from the corner of her eye. Castle was standing by the edge of the pool and the kids pushed him into the water and then laughed out loud. Since neither of them knew how to swim they both wore life vests, Ollie a green one and Gigi a pink one. Castle swam back to the surface and Oliver plunged into the water with him. When Castle opened his arms to catch her, Gigi jumped too, straight into his embrace. She may only be 13 months old but she was already very brave. Kate smiled and lowered her gaze back to her book. After a few minutes, the water splashing ceased.

"Hi momma!" her son called happily from a few yards away.

"Hey sweetie," she answered, peering over the rim of her sunglasses, following him with her gaze as he walked past her on his way inside the house. "Where are you going?" she asked wary.

"Toilet!"

"Aha."

"Momma!" her daughter's high-pitched voice chanted. Kate turned her gaze and saw the baby girl slowly climbing up the porch's three steps.

"Hi sweetie." Kate kept her eyes on the toddler as she, too, headed in after her brother. She was like his shadow, wherever he went she followed, whatever he did she did too. "Where are _you_ going, baby girl?" Kate asked amused.

"Toi-et," the toddler babbled and smiled.

"Riiiight," she murmured, grinning and frowning at the same time, wondering why a one year old wearing a swim pamper and who was not yet potty trained would need to go to the toilet.

"Hi mom!" exclaimed Castle.

"Hi sweet-" she almost answered by instinct and he chuckled. "You going to the bathroom as well?"

"Nope. Kids and I are thirsty. You want a smoothie?"

"No thanks, but…" she smiled attractively, tilting her head and looking up at him from under her eyelashes, "I wouldn't say no to a strawberry milkshake."

Five minutes later Gigi came out of the house drinking from a sippy cup in her hands. Her short brown ringlets still glistened with water droplets. Castle had taken off her life vest leaving her in just her swim pamper. Setting the cup on the floor next to Kate's sun lounger, she started pulling the wet diaper down but soon shrilled in frustration because it wouldn't come off. Beckett put her book aside, threw her legs over the edge of the chair and sat upright. Tugging at the toddler's arm, she pulled her closer until she was standing between her legs and helped her daughter out of her pamper. Then Kate handed her the sippy cup and she started drinking again.

"Momma," the girl babbled around the suction nozzle trapped between her teeth, stretching her arms up in the air. Kate pulled Gigi onto her lap, feeling her round baby butt still damp against her thighs. She dropped a kiss on her daughter's hair and the girl nestled into her chest. Her skin gave off a faint smell of chlorine mixed with the sweet fragrance of sunscreen.

"Are you done swimming for today, sweetie?" Gigi answered with a nod against her shoulder. Kate lightly stroked the girl's chubby legs and round baby tummy, feeling under her fingertips that her daughter's soft skin was a bit cold from the pool water. Just as she was pressing her lips to the top of her head again, Kate felt the girl shiver against her. "Why don't we take a shower, uh?"

She stood up and, holding her daughter against her chest, she walked inside the house.

"I'm taking a shower with Romy, alright?" She stuck her head into the kitchen where Oliver and Castle were busy slicing fruit for the smoothies and shakes.

"'kay," they both answered together.

Twenty minutes later, all salt and chlorine free, and wearing clean clothes, the two girls came out to of the bedroom to go and meet the boys. When they walked past the kitchen, Beckett saw something from the corner of her eye and stopped short. _What the-?_

"Was there an earthquake I didn't notice? Who's gonna clean up that _disastrous mess_ in the kitchen?" Kate demanded when she stepped out onto the porch, setting Gigi down on the floor.

As one, both father and son slowly turned their heads to her, both sipping from a straw and with identical big innocent eyes and they smiled coyly at her.

* * *

"Hey honey," Castle walked into the living room where she was watching a cartoon movie with the kids. "Just finished with the kitchen so I'm gonna start with the tent."

"Tent?" she asked confused.

"Yeah, we said we'd sleep out on the lawn tonight?"

_Oh man, she'd forgotten about that and she secretly wished they had forgotten about it, too._

"I really would prefer if we didn't," she whispered very low so Oliver wouldn't hear her, even so, his head turned to her.

"Momma you promised," he whined.

"Why don't you camp with dad outside? It will be like boys' camp. I'll sleep with Gigi inside."

The boy rose from the thick rug on the floor and stood between his mother's legs. "Nooo! Mommy please, _pretty please_?" His eyes filled with tears and he pouted his lips. Gigi, having forgotten the movie completely, looked from one face to the other, having no idea what was going on.

"Come on Kate, you _did_ promise we'd camp outside before going back home. It's our last night here," Castle tried to reason with her.

She looked from Castle back to Oliver's sad face and finally gave in. "Okay, fine." The boy's face lit up like on Christmas morning. He pulled Kate's face down to his and gave her a big kiss.

* * *

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, in her Pj's and flip-flops, she spat into the sink and rinsed her mouth and toothbrush.

"Momma we're ready." Ollie appeared at the master bedroom's bathroom threshold in his jammies but barefoot.

"Where's your dad?" she asked him as she wiped her face with a towel.

"He's already outside with Gigi. He told me to come get you."

"Did you brush?" He flashed his teeth and nodded. "Did you go to the toilet?"

"No," he smiled sweetly.

"Go on then," she gestured him. He padded, shoved his pajama pants down and, with great effort, climbed and sat on the toilet. She would minimize the chances of him waking her in the middle of the night because he had to go.

"Momma? Are we going to see the fireworks again tonight?" he asked hopeful, leaning his elbows on his knees and swinging his legs.

"No honey, that was only yesterday. We'll have to wait 'til next year, 'til the next 4th of July," she told him.

"Oh."

"Are you done?"

"Yep!" He hopped to the floor, pulling his pants back up, and she flushed the toilet.

Taking his small hand in hers, they exited the bedroom and headed downstairs, switching off every light of the upstairs floor. When they reached the porch she scooped him up, Ollie's legs wrapping around her waist automatically, and carried him all the way to the big home-made tent, set under a big tree, that Castle had been able to produce with large bed sheets, some rope and a couple of poles.

The sun had already set and the last traces of daylight colored the horizon in different shades of purple, red and orange. She could see Romy and Castle's silhouettes cast against the pale sheets as they swung the flashlight beams around. Kate bent over, balancing Oliver securely on her hip, stuck her head into the opening between the sheets and eyed the inside of the tent.

"You sure this is safe?" she asked Castle, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of one of the big mattresses he'd dragged here from inside the house.

"Positive," he smiled cocky. She frowned, still a bit doubtful, but set her son onto the mattress and he jumped and let himself fall onto a pillow, giggling.

"Mommy, you sleep here," he said, patting the spot to his left. Kate dropped to her knees and crawled up the mattress until she reached her son's side.

"Who wants to play a game?" exclaimed Castle.

"Me, me!" Oliver jumped on the mattress and Gigi mimicked him.

"Gee! Rick, don't get them so excited. They'll never fall asleep," she complained while trying to get them to sit down again before they tripped and knocked the tent down.

"Can you hold this honey?" Castle handed Kate the flashlight. "Okay… Oliver, come over here. Sit next to Gigi." Castle knelt in the middle of the tent, close to where his wife was holding the flashlight, shinning the beam on the canvass. "Here it comes, now pay attention. Who can guess what this is?" Castle laced his fingers and a shadow animal appeared in front of them, cast on the white fabric.

"A dog!" Ollie answered almost immediately.

"Good! Now the first one was easy. How about this?" They played guessing the names of the shadow animals Castle made with his fingers for 10 minutes. There were rabbits, butterflies, wolfs, pigs and goats. "The last one, alright? Ollie let your sister guess this one first." His fingers acquired the shape of a bird against the sheet.

"Oh! I know, I know!" the boy squealed.

"Shhh! Don't say it," Castle shushed his son.

"Gigi what's that?" asked Kate sweetly to the baby girl.

The toddler pulled the pacifier out of her mouth. "Tweet-tweet-tweet," she answered softly.

"Good girl!" Castle and Kate cheered and clapped and Gigi's lips curved into a big grin.

"That's a bird Gigi!" Oliver told his sister with a smile and then gave her a kiss and hugged her.

"Now, it's very late, time to go to bed."

They got under the covers, both kids between mom and dad, and Oliver snuggled against Kate's chest while Castle cradled Gigi in his arms. The flashlight was switch off and they were surrounded by darkness, the chirping of the summer crickets and the distant wash of the waves over the sand.

"Mommy?" Oliver murmured softly.

"Yes, sweetie?"

He was quiet for a moment and then he whispered, "I love you."

The corners of her lips quirked up in a smile. "I love you, too," she murmured in his ear.

"Very much?" he asked under his breath. Kate heard Castle's muffled chuckle.

"Very, very, _very_ much." He giggled and she kissed his forehead and hugged him closer to her. Castle reached forward with his arm and took Kate's hand in his. She glanced over to his face and their gazes met in the dark.

"I love you," Castle murmured quietly. She gave his hand a squeeze and laced their fingers together.

* * *

**Hope you liked it :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

_9 weeks later…_

"Alright!" Beckett banged her hand loudly on the dining table.

Startled by his mother's shout, Oliver's head snapped up and he jumped in his chair, dropping his fork to the floor. Castle stood up and got a new one for the boy. Leaning his elbow onto the table next to his plate, Ollie rested his cheek in the palm of his hand, his head slightly bobbing forward and his eyes drifting closed.

"That's enough young lady!" Kate directed an angry glare at her daughter, who was sitting next to her at the head of the table on a high-chair.

"No," Gigi said in a high-pitched voice and with a grin on her face. That had been her favorite word the past couple of weeks; she answered to everything with a _'No'_.

Then, Gigi simply eased back on her seat and giggled, a cheeky sparkle lighting up her crinkled eyes, while lifting her shoulders in an innocent shrug. A soft chuckle escaped from Castle's mouth and Kate shifted her gaze in front of her, frowning at him disapprovingly.

"You are not helping Rick," she scolded.

He pursed his lips, but his eyes still shone with amusement. "Kate she's just a baby," he said, his tone laced with humor, and his eyes flicking to his daughter who was observing mom and dad with a big smile on her face. "She doesn't know what she's-"

Kate's hand flew to the girl as she was about to tip the bowl with pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot and pasta mix over the edge of the chair's tray.

"Really Rick?" she retorted, snatching the food from the toddler, and putting it away from her reach. "She knows _exactly_ what she's doing. She's playing with us!"

Castle cut a piece of his steak, dipped it in the creamy sauce, and popped into his mouth.

"Honey, she's 15 months old. It's just a phase."

"You're biased. She's got you wrapped around her pinky finger… All this began last week, when Oliver started preschool, so I can only assume that she's rebelling." Beckett diverted her attention back to Gigi, scooting her chair closer to her daughter's. "I've warned you twice. One more time and you will _not_ sleep with Ollie tonight," she told her, pointing a finger at Gigi.

The girl's face grew serious. Furrowing her brows and pursing her small red lips in an annoyed expression, she stared pointedly at her mother. Beckett held her gaze a moment longer, then took the bowl and placed it on the high chair's tray. With the small pink and purple plastic spoon, she scooped some of the food mix and brought it to Gigi's mouth.

"No!" the girl screamed.

A few inches from her face, Gigi swung her arm and slapped Kate's hand away; the spoon and its contents flew off. When she dropped her hand onto the chair's tray, she knocked the bowl down and everything got spilt in all directions.

"That's it," Kate grumbled under her breath, and addressed Castle. "You deal with her."

She rose from her chair, bent over and picked the now empty bowl from the floor. Forgetting her own food, which had grown cold on the plate, Kate walked into the kitchen and placed the dirty bowl into the sink. She heard Castle put his cutlery down and shove his chair back as he stood up. Beckett placed her hands on the counter's edge, bracing herself, and she closed her eyes, letting out a long puff of air.

"Kate…"

She turned her head to Castle; he had pulled Romy out of her high-chair and was holding her against his side. He motioned with his head towards the dining table. She followed his gaze and her eyes fell upon Oliver. His left arm rested on top of the table, and his head lay nestled on his bent elbow. Beckett approached the boy and peered over his shoulder. He'd fallen asleep; his eyes were closed and he was breathing softly through his slightly open mouth.

"I'm gonna clean her up," Castle told her as he climbed up the stairs and she nodded.

Her gaze dropped to Oliver and her lips twitched in a half-smile. He'd started preschool just the week before. It had taken a couple of crying mornings, but he had adjusted really well. He had fun and played with kids his age all day long, and so, every evening he was completely exhausted. This was, though, the first time he'd fallen asleep during dinner.

Careful not to wake him, Kate pulled him up into her arms, his head falling on her shoulder and his arms and legs limp at his sides, and she kissed his temple.

* * *

He reached the top landing and turned into the hallway. Kate sat on the floor, leaning against the door frame of Romy's bedroom, her arms wrapped around her shins and her forehead resting on her knees.

"I can hear her all the way from my office…" he said over Gigi's screaming and crying as he walked towards Kate. "Shouldn't we check on her?"

"She's okay. We can't give in now…" She tilted her head and looked up at him. He was wearing an unconvinced expression on his face, and she added, "If you can't take it, just go back downstairs."

Castle hesitated; his brows furrowed and he pursed his lips. When he finally made up his mind, he leaned against the other side of his daughter's bedroom door and slid down the wall, dropping to the floor.

They waited in silence; Castle fidgeted with his hands and bit his thumb nail; she worried her lip as she stared at the floor. Long minutes passed, but their daughter's weeping didn't stop, if anything else, it was becoming even louder. Between sobs, she called for momma or screamed Ollie's name.

"Kate, it's been nearly half an hour. I can't…" he shook his head.

She pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes and sighed. Pushing herself off the floor, she stood up, opened the door and stepped into the girl's bedroom, Castle following at her heels. Gigi was standing inside her crib, her hands wrapped around the railing, her face red and her eyes swollen, and big tears rolling down her wet cheeks.

Kate picked her daughter up, held her against her chest and rubbed her back, moving her hand in circles, trying to soothe the toddler's wails and hiccups. With a tissue, Castle dried the tears and wiped away the snot from Gigi's face, and then handed her some water. The girl drank from her sippy cup, but she choked and started coughing. Kate patted her back and she calmed down.

"Ol-lie," she wept softly, nestling her head against her mother's neck.

"I'm sorry baby, but not tonight," Kate murmured in her ear.

Fresh tears pooled in Gigi's eyes and streamed silently down her cheeks. Castle kissed the tip of her nose and softly stroked her hair while Kate gently rocked her, shifting her weight from side to side. A few minutes later, she finally grew quiet and Kate put her down in the crib.

* * *

It was just a little before 7 in the morning when she walked down the hallway, pushed the door open and stepped into Oliver's bedroom.

"Sweetie, it's time to wake-" She stopped in her tracks and frowned. _How…? _Oliver was asleep in his bed, and next to him lay _Gigi_.

She went back downstairs, walked into the master bedroom's bathroom, and opened the glass door to the shower.

"Did you get her out?" she yelled over the streaming of the water. Castle startled and the shampoo bottle slipped from his slick fingers and landed on his foot.

"Ow!" Bending over, he rubbed his toes, and then turned his gaze up to her face. "Gee, Kate! You scared-"

"Did you?" she pressed, cutting him off.

"Do _what_?"

"Romy is asleep in Oliver's bed," she looked at him suspiciously.

"Well no, I didn't let her out," he defended himself.

* * *

The next evening, the two of them sat at the foot of their bed, both watching intently, through the small screen of the baby monitor, at their daughter in her crib upstairs. When they had put her to bed, barely ten minutes ago, she'd only fussed for a moment.

Now, they just waited for _it_ to happen and confirm their suspicions.

"There she goes," Castle whispered a couple of minutes later.

They watched as Gigi stood up and walked to a corner of her crib. She braced her arms over the railing, and pushing herself up, she slowly raised her leg and hooked her foot around the crib's headboard. She used that leverage to lift her other leg up, and in no time she was balancing her stretched body on the edge of her bed. She then swung both her legs over the crib's headboard, and let herself slid down slowly against the outside of the crib, until she was dangling from her arms. She stretched her feet and her toes touched the lower rim of the wood. She only had to take one more step down and she reached the ground.

"Wow!" Castle exclaimed breathless.

"Oh… my god!" Kate was speechless. She looked up at Castle and saw that his face reflected her own astonishment. A moment later their gazes drifted back to the screen and they caught a glimpse of Gigi walking out of her bedroom before she disappeared from the monitor's field of vision.

Kate put the baby phone down on the mattress behind her, and they both simply stared at nothing. It took them a minute to process what they had just witnessed and what it meant. Suddenly they looked at each other, and they immediately stood up and rushed upstairs.

They stopped briefly at the threshold before quietly stepping into the bedroom. The baby girl had already climbed onto the bed and crawled under the covers. Snuggled against her big brother, she was already fast asleep.

Kate turned her head to Castle, her brows arched in disbelief. "What are we going to do now?" she whispered.

He shrugged and shook his head, an incredulous smile spreading on his lips. "I have no idea."

* * *

**Hope you had a good read-time! See ya! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: To Anotherhumanbeing. Hope you are feeling better. Since it rained a lot and I finished reading Frozen Heat (amazing!) last Friday, I spent all weekend writing this :)**

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

_6 weeks later…_

"Momma!"

Oliver ran to her as soon as he saw her walking down the hall towards his classroom. She knelt in the middle of the corridor and he threw himself into her embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck. He giggled when she squeezed him, lightly jolting him from side to side, and then she pulled back and kissed him.

"Did you have fun, baby?"

"Uh-huh! I made something for you," he said with a big grin on his face. He shrugged his school bag off his shoulders and dropped to his knees in front of her. Opening the zipper, he reached into his bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Look!" He held up a colorful drawing.

"Oh, wow! It's beautiful, sweetheart!" His dazzling smile widened. "You think we still have room for it on the fridge?" He nodded in response. He was a true artist. Odd was the day when he came back home from school without a drawing for someone.

"I made drawings for everyone!" the boy exclaimed excited as he started to pull them out of his small school bag and placing them into his mother's arms. "For daddy and Gigi, for Alexis, for grandma and grandpa, uncles Ryan and Espo, one for auntie Lanie, and one for Captain Gates..."

"They are gorgeous, honey. But why don't you show them to me when we get home, uh?" She helped him stuff the drawings back in his bag.

"Good afternoon, Detective Beckett," Oliver's teacher greeted her from the classroom's doorway, a couple of yards away. Behind the elderly woman, a dozen kids ran and screamed around the small tables and chairs.

Kate rose and said, "Good afternoon, Miss Brook."

"You should know… he's a little wired," the woman mentioned while eyeing Oliver. "The kids haven't been able to play outside today because of the rain, so they are all a bit too overexcited," she told Kate with a grin as Oliver tugged at his mother's hand, dragging her towards the street, proving his teacher's point.

"Good thing it's Friday." Both women chuckled, but Ollie was growing impatient. With both his hands wrapped around her wrist, he gave another sharp pull to his mother's arm. "Well, better get him home. Have a nice weekend."

"You too. Bye, Oliver!"

"Bye, Miss Brook!" he waved as they moved off.

When they reached the exit doors, Kate stopped and crouched to zip up Oliver's jacket and pull its hood over his head.

"Come here, honey." Kate scooped him up in her arms, balancing him on her hip and holding him close to her chest. "Ready?" With her left shoulder, she pushed the door open and stepped outside. She quickly clicked open the umbrella and hurried through the downpour to her car, parked across the street.

* * *

It was a little after ten. Outside, the rain hadn't stopped falling. Kate peered through the curtain of water blurring the windowpane and saw, in the distance, a flash of white light up the dark sky, outlining thick heavy clouds over the horizon, far away from the city. Fifteen seconds later, the distant rumble of thunder reached her ears and a small smile of anticipation spread on her lips.

She closed the drapes and turned to face her son's bedroom, bathed in the soft light of a small night lamp near his bed. He was sound asleep, one arm dangling from the edge of the mattress, and the other wrapped around his head. She bent down, softly kissed his forehead, and crossed the hallway to check on the baby girl. Beckett approached the crib and looked down to see Gigi sleeping like an angel. Since she learnt to climb out of the crib, it had been a true challenge for Castle and Beckett getting the baby girl to continue sleeping in her own bed. But about three weeks ago, Castle had had the inspiring and clever idea of giving their daughter a baby doll. Gigi had fallen in love with it, and now would go to sleep every night with the doll wrapped in her little chubby arms.

Bending over the railing, Kate pulled the blanket tightly around the toddler and went back downstairs.

"They are fully asleep," she murmured as she closed the door of his study. Castle sat on the leather couch, remote control in hand, zapping through channels. She stood between him and the flat screen, and he craned his neck to the side to peer around her body. She stole the remote from his fingers and killed the TV.

"Hey!" he started to complain, "I was watching that!"

She lowered herself over him, pressing her knees on either side of his hips and straddling his thighs, facing him, and laced her arms loosely around his neck. She started brushing her lips along his jaw line, and ran her hands through his hair, her fingers lightly massaging his scalp. His hands rested on her hips and he swallowed hard.

"I believe you'll find my schedule for the night far more _entertaining_ than the one on the TV," she purred in his ear just as the rain started falling even harder against the windows and glass ceiling. The flash of lighting lit up the room, making them experience a flashback, traveling five years back in time.

* * *

A loud boom woke him with a startle. It was pitch-dark; his night light didn't glow and the stars on his ceiling were barely gleaming anymore. The rain was still pattering against the windowsills and the wind hissed with a furious howl. Pulling the sheets up to his chin, he stared with wide eyes at the ceiling as he listened to the angry sounds of the storm. Suddenly, lighting flashed through the curtains and a deafened crack followed almost immediately, making the glass tremble against the window frames. He covered his ears and clamped his eyes shut, but the loud sound still shook his bed.

* * *

It was a while later when Kate woke on the couch, wearing a long sweatshirt over her panties, and covered with a warm soft woolen blanket. A moan echoed deep inside her chest when she stretched her limbs, feeling perfectly comfortable and relaxed. She tilted her head back and saw Castle at his desk, swiftly stroking the keys on his laptop. She also noticed half a dozen candles scattered around the office. She walked over to him and he turned his chair, allowing her to sit across his lap.

"Romantic setting for another round?" she murmured in a husky voice, deep with sleep, but still managing to sound sensual.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "No power," he said. She leaned back to look at him with an astounded expression on her face. Realizing what she had heard, he squinted his eyes and frowned. "Blackout," he clarified, while one of his hands stroked the length of her bare thighs. Then, with a suggestive smile, he continued, "There is always _power_ for—"

"Dad-dy?"

They both looked up and saw Oliver in the doorway, half hidden in the shadows.

"Hey kid, what are you doing up?" Castle asked, turning them both on the chair.

Oliver padded barefoot towards his father's desk and when he stopped in front of his parents, the flickering light of the candles revealed his red eyes and the tears on his cheeks. The boy lifted his arms and Kate quickly reached down, and pulled him onto her lap.

"What's wrong, love?" she whispered worried.

Ollie's lower lip started to quiver and his eyes filled with tears. "I'm scared," he whimpered, his voice breaking at the end, and his whole frame shaking.

"Scared of—" Castle was left mid-sentence when thunder roared again with an ear-piercing crack. The boy jumped in Kate's arms, pressed his face into the crook of his mother's shoulder, and started sobbing.

"Are you scared of the thunderstorm?" she murmured softly in his ear, rubbing his back in comforting circles. He nodded against her shoulder. Kate shifted her gaze to Castle's face and he understood the question in her troubled eyes.

Running a hand softly through Oliver's hair, Castle leaned close to his son's ear and whispered, "You want to sleep with mommy and daddy tonight?"

Oliver turned his head to his father. "Yes," he replied so low they barely made out the word.

Beckett rose from Castle's lap, holding the still shaking boy to her chest, and started towards the bedroom.

"Daddy, you too," he stretched his arm, trying to reach a hand to his father. Kate half turned, looking over her shoulder.

"I'll be right there, buddy." Castle saved his work, closed the laptop's lid and blew out the candles.

Just as he stepped into the dark bedroom, Kate asked, "Could you get some water for him?"

A moment later he came back, knelt on the bed, and handed Kate a glass. She carefully held it to Oliver's mouth and he took a couple of sips. When he was done, she set the glass on the night stand, checked the baby monitor to make sure Gigi was okay, and lay down, pulling the sheets up and wrapping her arms around her son.

"Daddy?" Oliver reached out, found his father's hand in the dark, and gave it a tug.

Castle scooted closer to them, moving to the middle of the mattress, and put an arm over Kate's waist, creating a protective cocoon between their bodies where Oliver snuggled, his small body brushing both his parents' chests. Soon the thunder ceased and the storm moved away, leaving a soft drizzle in its wake. A couple of minutes later, Oliver's breathing became slow and steady, and he fell asleep.

Castle kissed Kate on the mouth and murmured, "One day we'll tell him he was conceived in a storm like this." Then he pressed his lips to Ollie's forehead and whispered, "Good night."

* * *

**Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**_

* * *

_2 weeks and 6 days later…_

With one fussing toddler in his arms and a crying boy clinging to his leg, Castle let himself into the loft. He set Gigi on the floor, took her coat off, and she ran straight to her toys. Castle got rid of his own jacket and headed to the bathroom to fetch the first-aid kit, Oliver following behind, his sobs slowly ebbing to quiet whining.

Back in the living room, Gigi had already taken over the entire sitting area, dragging, tipping over and emptying boxes full of Duplo and building colored blocks all over the large rug. Stepping into the kitchen, Castle picked the boy up and sat him on the counter, next to the sink. The boy was still wearing his jacket so Castle helped him out of it and then started to tend his son's wound.

On their walk back home from the park, Oliver had tripped over his feet and fallen to the sidewalk, landing on all fours. He had some scraping on his right hand and the left knee of his jeans now housed a big ripped hole.

Castle untied the paper tissue he had used to bandage the bleeding scratch, brought the small hand under the kitchen light and inspected the wound. Oliver bent over and took a closer look too. The freshly exposed underlayer of skin looked pink and had some dirt on it.

"Well, kid… It's nothing serious, just a scrape." Castle extracted a white bottle and some gauze from the kit, took one piece from the package and soaked it in clear liquid from the bottle.

"No daddy, that stings!" The boy tried to pull his arm away.

"Oliver, stay still." Castle grabbed his son's hand firmly and cleaned out the scratches with the gauze sodden in hydrogen peroxide, all the while softly blowing cool air over the little palm.

"_Ow, ow_," Ollie sucked in a breath through clenched teeth and sniffed, trying to hold back the fresh tears pooling in his eyes. Finally, Castle dabbed Betadine with a ball of cotton on the clean wound.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it? Now…, Disney princesses or Hello Kitty?" he asked, holding out two boxes of band aids.

"Daddy," the boy chuckled, scoffing at his father's silliness, his shiny eyes crinkling with amusement again.

"_What?"_ Castle faked bewilderment and made a funny face.

Ollie clucked his tongue and shook his head in disbelief, letting out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Those are Gigi's," he explained, making a '_don't you know that already?_' gesture with his good hand and rolling his eyes. "I want pirates!"

Castle took a big square pirate's band aid, stuck it on Oliver's palm, and then gently placed a kiss on it.

* * *

After bathing the kids, get them in their PJ's, and feed them dinner, they were left to play in the living room where Castle could keep an eye on them while he started on his and Kate's own evening meal. The quiet didn't last long as the two little monsters started running around the open space, Gigi chasing after her big brother and laughing so hard she almost lost her footing a couple times. When, in one of their spinning races around the kitchen island, Oliver sprinted past his father, Castle grabbed his arm.

"Oliver—" Gigi collided with his leg and he held her upright before she could tumble to the floor. Bending down, Castle looked at both his kids, holding their gaze with a penetrating stare. "You know what happens when you run? You fall and you get hurt. So _no running_," he said in a commanding voice, holding up a finger in front of their little faces.

They _did_ listen, for a whole ten minutes. Castle started chopping cherry tomatoes for a salad when a bouncing movement caught his eye. He lifted his head and saw the kids jumping on the couch. Putting the knife down, he circled the kitchen and walked over to them.

"Alright, enough… Both of you, off to bed. _Now."_ Extending his arms, he caught Oliver airborne and set him down on the floor. "Go brush your teeth, kid." Castle turned to apprehend his daughter but she scurried away to the other side of the couch. "Gigi, come here. It's bedtime, princess." He stepped around the short end of the sofa and lunged for her arm, but she slipped from his grip and bounced away from his reach, giggling.

And that's when it happened; her stocking feet slid over the black leather and she slipped off the edge of the couch. It occurred so fast he couldn't react in time. Before he could stop her, she fell face down, smashed her head against the coffee table, and landed on her side on the sand color rug. She was already crying and screaming when Castle quickly picked her from the floor. His heart rate spiked into a frantic pace when he saw her face. A lot of blood was oozing from a long deep cut on her forehead, blending with the big tears rolling down her cheeks, turning them a vivid red.

He bolted for the kitchen, pulled a white cloth from a drawer, held it under the running tap and cleaned the blood from the baby girl's face. The gash, above her right eye, was about an inch and a half long and it kept bleeding profusely, so he took another cloth and pressed it to the open wound. Turning around, he spotted Oliver frozen at the first step of the staircase.

"Oliver put on your boots and coat!"

Castle phoned the doorman downstairs to ask for a cab, wrapped his daughter in one of his jackets, grabbed his phone, wallet and keys, and in one minute they were out the door.

* * *

Castle dashed through the entrance's sliding doors from the ER's ambulance bay with a weeping Gigi in his arms and Oliver clutching the waist of his shirt. He hurried past two men in scrubs, dodged an old woman, and bumped his shoulder against a tall man in a leather jacket and carrying a helmet under his armpit, who was headed for the exit. Castle walked straight to the front desk where two nurses were on the phone.

The waiting area was packed with people. Two big heavy men with shaved heads and ash-blonde mustaches, wearing worn jeans, black leather vests, and arms covered in tattoos, sat next to each other. One held an ice pack to his temple, the other, a bloody tissue under his swollen nose. A Hispanic woman had her arm wrapped around a boy's shoulders. The kid looked like he was 15 and about to throw up. A young female nurse was helping a heavily pregnant woman into a wheelchair, her hyperventilating husband leaning against a wall behind them. In the far corner, another man held his bandaged hand to his chest.

Castle bent over the counter and addressed the middle-aged woman sitting behind the desk.

"Excuse me." The woman held a finger up, asking him to hold on. He wasn't having any of that. "I need someone to take a look at my daughter. She fell," he said as calm as he could.

The nurse covered the phone's mouthpiece, looked up at him, and said, "A doctor will be with you shortly. If you could just—"

"I need a doctor _now!_"

"I'll take a look at her."

Castle turned to the voice behind him. "Thank—" _Oh! _He was standing in front of Josh. Motorcycle man _Josh_; his wife's ex-boyfriend _Josh_. He had a helmet in his hand and was wearing plain clothes. After an awkward moment, Castle nodded and said, "Thank you."

* * *

Josh led them through the double swing doors and to an examining room down the hall. Castle laid his daughter on the gurney and lifted Oliver onto a plastic chair. Josh left for a minute and came back wearing a white coat over his street clothes. The doctor sat on a stool beside Gigi's head and snapped on a pair of white gloves.

"Okay, let's have a look."

The bleeding had stopped and as Josh examined the wound, he asked what had happened.

"She fell off the couch and hit her head against the coffee table."

Castle didn't take his eyes off his baby girl as he answered, gently caressing her cheek, wiping away the tears, and holding her tiny hand. Gigi looked up with frightened eyes from the doctor to her father, and as Josh leaned closer over her, the girl's lip started quivering. Castle hushed her and whispered comforting words to her while he lightly brushed her soft brown curls.

Josh moved the beam of his penlight in front of her eyes, checking her pupils. "Has she lost consciousness or thrown up?"

"No."

"Alright, she seems to be okay. She's responsive and her pupils look good…" He asked if she had any medical condition and if she was on any medication. The answer to both questions was a negative. Josh turned to Castle and said, "Well, I don't think she'll need a CT scan. But the cut is too deep to use Skin Glue. She'll need stitches."

* * *

Beckett, along with her two detectives, had been trapped in the Captain's office for an endless debrief. After a long hour of discussing the state of the case, cross-referencing suspects with criminal records, and planning their next strategy approach, Gates finally finished their meeting. The three of them exited the office. The boys quickly got their jackets and murmured a '_Good night'_ before leaving. She walked over to her desk to collect her things and head home as well.

Swiping her finger across the screen, she checked her cellphone. Apparently she had missed two calls from Castle and she had a new message in her voicemail. As she listened to it, her face turned ashen. Castle's panicked voice was muffled by her daughter's desperate sobs, and the rumbling of an engine speeding and car horns filled the background. Still listening to Castle's message, she snatched her blazer and purse, and rushed down the stairs, descending three steps at a time.

* * *

"You're being a very good girl," Josh murmured softly, rubbing topical gel on the skin around the cut. She _was_ being good and very brave; she remained very still and didn't cry, though she kept a firm hold on her father's finger, wrapped tightly in her small hand.

"Is she going to be okay?" Oliver asked in a soft voice.

Castle had moved the plastic chair next to the gurney and settled his son on his lap. Ollie had pulled his legs under his butt so he could stand tall and see what the doctor was doing.

"Yes… I'm going to close the wound so your sister doesn't hurt anymore," Josh replied in the same tone.

"How?"

A short chuckle escaped Josh's lips from behind his surgical mask.

"Oliver, not now. You have to be quiet," Castle whispered to him.

"It's okay," Josh murmured, briefly glancing up at the curious boy. Then, without taking his eyes off his patient, he started explaining and working at the same time. "I numbed the skin around the wound with this gel, and now I'm going to give your sister a—"

"Gigi," Oliver interrupted.

Josh smiled and continued. "I'm gonna give Gigi a little shot so she won't feel anything, and then I'll stitch the cut."

* * *

She arrived at the hospital in 10 minutes. Pulling into the ambulance bay, she double parked her car where it wouldn't get in the way of the ambulances coming and going, threw the police plate onto the dashboard, and raced inside the building.

"My baby, Romy Castle, she was brought in," she asked the nurse stationed behind the front desk, nervously tapping her hand on the counter.

"Okay, let's see…" The woman checked a list, not as fast as Beckett would have wanted, running a finger over names and numbers. "Yes, she's in Exam Room 3. Someone will—"

Kate didn't stay to listen; she crossed the ER doors, and turned left and down a hall. She spotted the sign 'Exam 3' hanging above a door at the end of the corridor. Through the window, she saw a male doctor leaning over a tiny body stretched on a gurney, and recognized her daughter's pajamas. Castle, with Oliver on his lap, sat beside Gigi's head.

"Rick, what happened?" she asked, a little out of breath, as she entered the small room and approached the gurney. And then she saw the open gash on her daughter's forehead. "_Oh my god_," she exhaled.

"Kate…" Castle stood up, and Oliver reached for her. When she pulled her son into her arms, she saw Castle's shirt stained in dark dried blood. It was a lot of blood. "She fell off the couch and cut her forehead against the coffee table."

"_God..."_

"She'll be okay, Kate. She just needs a few stitches." Kate pulled her eyes from her daughter's face and looked at the doctor for the first time. He'd pulled the mask down from his mouth and was gazing up at her. "Hi," he said.

An uncomfortable silence from both her surprise and astonishment fell upon the room. "Josh…, hi."

* * *

Josh finished suturing Gigi's wound –she had needed five stitches-, and then he bandaged it with a patch of gauze and secured it with surgical tape. Even though she seemed to be alright, they were given the instructions of watching the toddler closely for 24 hours, keep the wound dry and clean, and visit her pediatrician the next day.

"It's been good to see you Kate, even though the circumstances could have been better," the doctor said, and it sounded like he really meant it.

"It was good to see you too. And thank you for everything." She shifted Oliver's weight to her hip and gave Josh an awkward one-arm hug. Castle, carrying a half-conscious Gigi, shook hands with Josh and thanked him again.

"You take good care of you sister, uh kid?" Josh smiled and ruffled Oliver's long hair. The boy grinned and nodded, and then rested his head on his mother's shoulder. Josh addressed Beckett again. "He's a miniature replica of you." She chuckled once, mumbling a '_Yeah_', and looking down at her son's sweet face. Josh squeezed Kate's arm one more time and said, "Take care."

"You too Josh, bye."

* * *

It was past ten when they finally got home. Kate was tucking Oliver in bed; the boy had fallen asleep on the ride back to the loft from the emergency room. Castle paced up and down the hall with Gigi in his arms, holding her like he used to when she was a newborn, while she drank warm milk from her bottle. He couldn't stop kissing her temple, her cheek, the tip of her nose… A minute later, the grip of her baby fingers loosened around the bottle, her arm falling limp down her side and her eyes closing, and she fell asleep.

Kate came toward him, circled her arms around his waist from behind, and dropped a kiss to Gigi's hair and Castle's shoulder. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head.

"I'm taking the day off tomorrow," she murmured softly. "And Oliver can skip school for one day. We'll go to the pediatrician first thing in the morning and then we'll stay in watching movies and eating ice cream." He hummed low in response. "Come on. We should get some sleep too, it's been a long day," she whispered.

"Yeah…" he sighed.

They put their daughter in her crib and went downstairs.

* * *

Waking from her slumber, she gravitated to his side of the bed but found it empty and the sheets cold. The alarm clock on the nightstand flashed 3:17. Sleepy and tired, she clumsily climbed up the stairs, holding onto the railing to not stumble. She found him in Gigi's dim bedroom, sacked out on the armchair, his lids half closed over his eyes. She stepped across the room and knelt down in front of him between his legs.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered, placing her arms on his thighs.

He let out a long puff of air before answering. "I couldn't sleep," he mumbled, his face showing worry and torment. She waited patiently until he was ready to share the rest. He raised his head and his troubled gaze settled on the crib behind her. "It's my fault… I tried to grab her and she fell. If I had just—"

"Castle, it's no one's fault. It was an accident," she murmured. He shook his head and closed his eyes. "Hey," she squeezed his knee and waited until he looked down at her. "She's _fine_. It was an _accident_," she punctuated every syllable, fixing him with a meaningful and stubborn stare. He looked into her eyes for a long moment, and then placed his hand on top of hers and leaned forward to press his lips to her forehead. She cupped his cheek with her free hand and brought his mouth to hers for a soft kiss.

"I love you," he breathed out over her lips.

She gave him another peck. "I know." Standing up, she walked over to the crib, lowered the rail, and picked up the sleeping toddler into her arms. "Let's go to bed," she murmured softly. He pulled himself up from the armchair, took his daughter's baby doll from inside the cot and followed his girls downstairs.

* * *

**Hope you liked it :) Thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: My five year old cousin, who got chicken pox a couple of months back, inspired this chapter. Hope you don't mind this one turned to be much longer than the previous ones. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

_5 days later…_

The bedroom door was cracked. He pushed and it opened inward silently. Mommy's bedside lamp was on but she wasn't in bed. Daddy was though, lying on his side with his back to the door. Oliver circled the bed, hugging his stuffed bunny to his chest, and stopped in front of his father. Snuggled under the comforter, Castle had draped it around his head. His face was the only visible part of his body.

The boy leaned close and whispered, "Daddy." Castle drew in a deep sigh but didn't wake. Oliver tried again, raising his voice a little. "Daddy."

"Mmm…"

"Daaaddy, wake up." Oliver poked him in the cheek. "Dad, I have to get dressed for school."

"What?" mumbled Castle with his eyes still closed.

"It's Halloween." Ollie yanked the comforter down and started shaking his father. "I have to put on my costume."

Castle sat upright, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, and rubbed his face, trying to wipe away the remnants of sleep. Pushing the curtain aside with a finger, he peeked outside and saw it was still dark. On the nightstand, the hands of his watch said it was 6:18 am.

"Oliver…" Castle's mouth opened in a big yawn. "…it's still early."

The boy sighed disappointed and made a sad face. Castle brushed his long hair back and, as he did, something on his son's forehead caught his eye. Grabbing him by his arm, he placed Oliver between his legs, flicked the other bedside lamp on, and took a closer look.

"It can't be…"

He took the bunny from Ollie's hands and pushed the right sleeve up his arm. Nothing there. He also checked his son's left arm. Nothing there either. Then he lifted his son's PJ shirt, exposing his belly. And there it was, a dozen tiny red dots staining his fair skin.

"Daddy, what is it?"

Castle touched Oliver's forehead and felt the skin a bit warm. Scooping the boy into his arms, he rose and headed toward the bedroom's adjoining master bathroom. A thin line of light seeped out from under the closed door.

"Honey," Castle called as he entered, but his voice was muffled by the fan's blowing noise from the hairdryer in Beckett's hand. Standing in front of the mirror, she was styling her hair with a big, round brush and the blow dryer. She was in her socks and wore only a pair of black slacks and a matching bra. "Kate!"

This time she heard him and, switching off the hairdryer and setting it down on the large counter, she turned to the door. Upon seeing Oliver in Castle's arms, Kate smiled widely.

"Hi love. What are you doing up so early?" Beckett said, stepping closer and kissing her son's cheek. She then pecked Castle on the lips and, as she pulled back, she read the concern written in his face. "Something wrong?" she asked, addressing her husband.

Castle made a face and, saying nothing, he lifted Oliver's shirt. When Kate spotted the red bumps on the boy's belly, she frowned confused. However, her mind quickly made the connection and, understanding the meaning of it, she arched her brows and her eyes opened wide.

"Oh my…. Is that—?

"—chicken pox?" he finished her sentence. "Yep."

"What are we going to do, Castle? I'm supposed to be in court in less than two hours, and I have to swing by the…" she fell silent and strained her ears. Gigi was awake. Beckett could hear the toddler's crying coming through the baby monitor on her bedside table.

Sidestepping around Castle, Kate exited the bathroom and headed straight upstairs. Castle followed her with Oliver still in his arms. As Beckett climbed the steps, the crying became more intense and she immediately noticed it wasn't Gigi's usual morning weeping. She strolled down the hallway in a fast pace and walked into her daughter's bedroom, flicking the switch up and turning the lights on as she crossed the threshold.

"Ohhh… baby," Beckett took her out of the crib and hugged her. Romy's crying was weak but afflicted. It poured so much sorrow that Kate felt a twinge in her heart for her daughter's suffering. "Are you feeling sick, sweetheart?" she asked, wiping away the tears and caressing her small face. The girl's cheeks were flushed a deep pink, the fringe of her hairline was wet with sweat, and her forehead felt very hot. "Castle…" she turned to him as he stepped into the room, "she's burning up."

Beckett grabbed the pacifier from inside the crib and gave it to Gigi. Then she nestled the toddler against her chest, tucking her head under her chin, and rocked her gently as she stroke her face and curls, trying to soothe her.

"Well, guess I have no choice but to stay home with them," Castle stated.

* * *

Half an hour later, Beckett stood by the front door trying to get to work. But the boy tugging at her coat wasn't making it easy for her to leave. Castle kept his distance, knowing if they forced Oliver, it would only get worse.

"Honey, I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"_Nooo!_" His loud screech pierced Beckett's ears and echoed off the loft's walls. "Momma, I don't want you to go!" he implored.

Every time Kate managed to free herself from one of Ollie's hands, he would grab her tightly with the other. Crying his lungs out and with fat tears streaming down his cheeks, the boy clung to her and refused to let go of his mother. He'd been hugely disappointed when he'd been told he couldn't go to the preschool's Halloween party. His chagrin grew even greater when he learned his mother had to go to work.

Luckily, after giving her something to bring the fever down, Gigi had drunk almost a whole bottle and had fallen asleep on the living room's couch, completely undisturbed by Ollie's sobs and screams a few feet away.

Kate knew the tantrum was, partly, because of his exhaustion and the fever, but still, it broke her heart to see him like this. Kneeling down on the floor, she pulled Oliver onto her lap and held his face in her hands.

"Oliver, calm down," she used a soft and quiet but firm tone. His hair was damp with sweat, his eyes were red and swollen, he had a runny nose, and hiccups from all the crying. Beckett pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped away the tears and snot. "Oliver, mommy has to go—"

"No-o," he started to whine again, but she silenced him.

"Shhh, listen to me. It will only be for a few hours. Daddy is gonna make you some breakfast, then you're gonna get some rest, and when you wake up I'll be back home, alright?"

Fresh tears pooled in his eyes again but Kate could read in his face that he was giving up the fight. She hugged him tightly against her for a long minute until he calmed down and his breathing evened out.

* * *

The judge announced a fifteen minute recess and Kate rushed out of the courtroom. Once in the hallway, she sat down on a bench far away from the crowd, connected her phone and opened a message she'd gotten from Castle. It was a snapshot from Oliver and Gigi asleep. They looked so small all tucked in their parents' bed.

Beckett speed dialed Castle's number, and brought the cell to her ear. He answered on the second ring.

"Hi, how are they?"

"They're alright. The fever's gone down, and they fell asleep just a while ago watching a DVD."

The hall was filling up with people and the echo of their voices, and Kate had to cover her ear to make out Castle's words on the other side of the line.

"Oh, good… I think I'm done here, so I'll be home soon. Did you call the doctor?"

"Yeah. He gave me the name of a lotion for when their rash gets worse."

"OK. You need me to get it?"

"No need. Already called my mother and she bought it."

Beckett spotted the Assistant District Attorney exiting the courtroom.

"Okay, gotta go. See you in a bit." And she ended the call.

Rising to her feet, Kate waved her arm to get the woman's attention while she grabbed her purse and coat. The ADA saw Beckett and walked over to her.

"Detective Beckett," the woman smiled.

"You think I'll be needed anymore?" she asked.

"No, no. Now it's up to me and my team."

After the woman thanked her for her testimony, they shook hands and parted, and Beckett immediately headed toward the exit doors.

* * *

Letting herself into the loft, she closed the door with a soft click, set down her keys and purse onto the entry table and hung her coat in the front hall closet.

"Hi," she said stepping into Castle's office.

"Hi, beautiful," he smiled, looking up from his laptop.

She crossed over and kissed him. "Are they still sleeping?"

He gestured toward the master bedroom with his head. Kate walked to the half-open door and peeked inside. The kids were snuggled under the thick, gray duvet in the middle of the bed. She tiptoed across the room, careful not to make noise with her heels, and sat on the edge of the mattress. The first two red spots had already appeared on Gigi's face. Kate reached out and gently brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen over the pink scar on her forehead. The cut she'd gotten the week before had healed nicely. A couple more days and the stitches could be removed.

"Momma?"

Oliver was gazing up at her with narrowed eyes.

"Hi, love. Are you feeling better?" she whispered. He answered with a small nod. "You wanna sleep some more?"

"Yes…" Kate pressed her lips to his forehead and when she was about to leave, Oliver mumbled, "Momma, stay."

She took her shoes off and lay down on her side above the covers, beside her son, throwing an arm over his middle, and letting her hand rest on the baby girl's small body behind him. Ollie nestled his head against his mother's shoulder, closed his eyes, and fell asleep almost immediately.

The whole house was extremely quiet except for the kids' rhythmic breathing and Castle's distant, soft typing in the other room. Beckett had been up since very early in the morning, and as the minutes ticked by, her eyelids started feeling heavier, and she finally dozed off as well.

* * *

"Kate…"

She opened her eyes and found Castle's face inches from hers.

"What time is it?"

"Eleven-thirty…" he whispered, sitting down next to her waist. Whoa, she thought, she'd been sleeping for nearly an hour. "Ryan's on the phone," Castle added.

"What?" And then she saw her cell in Castle's hands. "Oh…" She took it from him and held it to her ear. "Ryan? …Hi," she murmured softly, trying not to wake the kids, while Castle watched her face. From the other end of the line, Ryan informed her they had a new case. "Uhm, wait a second, Ryan…" She hesitated whether to accept it or not. But Castle nodded, making the decision for her. "You sure?" she asked him, covering the mouthpiece with her hand.

"Go. I'll take care of everything, don't worry."

* * *

The kids had been asleep for over more than three hours when Castle eased back in his chair and lifted his arms above his head, stretching out the stiff muscles. Just then, he heard soft footfalls, and a couple seconds later Oliver appeared in the doorway, rubbing his sleepy eyes with his fists. When he saw his dad sitting by his desk, the boy shuffled his feet over to him, staggering slightly to the left. His hair was ruffled and the right leg of his pajama bottoms was rolled up to his knee.

"Hello, buddy. How are you?"

Looking bleary-eyed, Oliver raised his arms and his father pulled him up onto his lap.

"You feeling better?" He felt the boy's forehead, checking his temperature. He didn't have a fever anymore.

"Daddy…" Ollie whispered huskily.

"Yeah…?"

"I wanna build a castle."

"A castle?"

"Yes." A smile formed slowly on the boy's lips as the last remnants of sleep lifted. "A big one, with lots of Lego pieces of all colors."

"OK, sure. But, what if we have some lunch fi—"

"Dada," Gigi's cheerful babbling interrupted him.

The baby girl stepped into the office with her dummy in her mouth and, grinning, she ran to them with the cute, funny flair that only babies have when running. She started climbing up her father's legs and Castle gave her a little boost, helping her to hoist herself up.

"Hi, princess," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Are you hungry?"

The toddler pulled the pacifier from her mouth and answered with a "Yes."

"You hungry, Oliver?"

"Yes."

"Well, let's have some lunch and then we'll build the world's biggest Lego castle, alright?"

* * *

At five-thirty in the afternoon, Kate received a text from Lanie. The ME had just finished the autopsy on the victim and was ready to report her of her findings. On her way to the OCME, Beckett's cell phone started ringing. The name 'CASTLE' flashed on the screen and she hit the hands free button.

"Hi, hon. How are the kids doing?"

"Momma, it's me," Oliver's high-pitched voice came through the line. He sounded cheerful.

"Hello sweetheart. What's up?"

"Can we have our own Halloween party? _Pleeeease_," he begged sweetly.

"Honey, you're sick…"

"Daddy already said we could."

"Right…, of course he did…"

"And besides, everything is almost ready," he added.

For once, fortune seemed to smile upon Beckett when, arriving to the intersection of 30th Street and First Avenue, a car parked on the right side curb pulled into traffic, leaving an empty parking spot right outside the OCME doors.

"Well…, if everything is all set, I guess there's no sense in saying no, right?"

"Wicked! Thanks, mom. We'll let you know when everything is ready. Bye!"

"Wait, baby. Let me talk to dad," she added quickly, but got only silence from the other end of the line. "Oliver?" But the boy had already hung up.

As she walked through the morgue's double doors, Beckett found her friend sitting in front of a microscope.

"Dr. Parish, what do you have for me?"

The ME looked up from the scopes' ocular lenses.

"Detective Beckett, you got here fast."

"Yeah, well. Want to be back home ASAP."

"Of course," Lanie's tone denoted absolute understanding. "What news do we have on the status of my favorite nephew and niece?"

"I believe they're feeling much better," she explained, grabbing her cell from her coat pocket and showing Lanie a picture Castle had sent her a couple of hours ago. The photo showed Ollie and Gigi sitting at either side of a giant Lego castle. "Oliver just called saying they organized their own Halloween party at home… So, yeah."

The ME stared at the picture for a couple more seconds before handing her the cell phone back.

"Okay then, I'll give you a quick report of what I found, and I'll email you all the details later." Lanie rose from the stool and stepped around the table.

"Lanie! Look at you!" Kate exclaimed excited, taking a step back to appraise her. Between Gigi's accident the week before, and all the preparations for that morning's trial, Kate and her friend had not seen each other for over a week. But now, as she looked at the ME, the changes were obvious to Beckett's observant eye. "You're already showing!"

Early that afternoon, at the crime scene, Kate hadn't noticed because Lanie had been crouching next to the victim the whole time. Now, sporting a stunning and proud smile, the ME turned sideways and flattened the scrubs around her stomach, making the small bulge in the center of her belly stick out. About a month back, Lanie and Esposito had shared thrilling news with their friends. After two years trying to get pregnant, they were finally expecting their first child.

* * *

"Hi, I'm home!" Kate called out as she got in, dropping her things onto the front hall's chair. The smell of fresh baked cookies wafted through the air.

"Hello, honey," Castle welcomed her from the couch, with his ankles crossed and his stocking feet resting on the coffee table.

Kate took a few steps into the living room and looked around. The kitchen's sliding doors were drawn, dividing the large space into two.

"Where are the patients?" she asked.

"Well honey," Castle started, "all of a sudden they were feeling _terribly_ sick and feverish, and they went straight to bed."

"Oh, no! Really? _That's too bad!_" she exclaimed with a little bit too much emphasis, and slumped down next to Castle on the sofa. He gave her a conspiratorial smile. Placing a hand on his thigh, she leaned into him. "Why is the kitchen closed?" she whispered into her husband's ear.

"Oh, you don't want to see the state the kitchen is in right now," he murmured under his breath. "_Believe_ _me_." And then he raised his voice again for the benefit of the kids. "Tell me about it! We had this awesome Halloween picnic ready and now we'll have to throw all the food away!"

Beckett heard how the kids, who were hiding behind the back of the couch, tried to hold back their laughter.

"Well then," she continued, "maybe we should celebrate Halloween on our own, don't you think?"

"_Boo!"_ The two little munchkins jumped out from their hiding place and, circling the sofa, they threw themselves into their mother's arms, pressing kisses all over her face.

"Oh, my god! You both look so adorable!" Oliver wore a Mad Hatter suit, while Gigi was dressed in an Alice costume. "My two little monsters."

* * *

After dinner —Jack-o'-lantern quesadillas, pumpkin potion, mini mummified cheese-wrapped dogs, and bat-shaped cookies bathed in chocolate— and after playing three games of Memory, Beckett gave the kids a long oatmeal bath. She made the most of that half hour with them, trying to make up for the time she thought she should have spent with her son and daughter that day. Meanwhile, Castle stayed downstairs attempting to clean up dried-out cookie dough stains, gooey cheese clumps, and chocolate smears, all of which made the kitchen look more like a food fight battlefield than an actual kitchen. Then, Kate rubbed the kids from head-to-toe with calamine lotion, and put some clean pajamas on them.

Since they were sick, Castle had promised them they could sleep together. So she had to give her consent as well. Oliver said he didn't want to sleep in his sister's crib, since it was getting too small for the two of them. But Kate didn't want the kids to sleep in the boy's bed for fear that Gigi might fall out of it in the middle of the night. So she ended up pulling the mattress onto the floor, and as an extra precaution, she took the baby-phone from her daughter's bedroom and set it in Oliver's room, pointing the small camera at the makeshift bed.

"Come on, Ollie. Get into bed."

"I need to go pee-pee."

"Well then, go to the toilet."

"Momma…" Gigi extended her arms toward her mother and puckered up her lips, asking for a kiss.

With a smile, Kate knelt down on the mattress, and moved above the toddler, hovering over her. She then leaned down and playfully bit Gigi's cheek repeatedly while making small noises in her throat, what made the girl laugh out loud. The sweet sound was music to Beckett's ears.

"You want a kiss?" she whispered to her daughter a moment later.

"Yes," the girl whispered back with a big grin on her face, and Kate kissed those soft, pink lips.

"Momma." Beckett turned to Oliver's voice and saw him step into the bedroom carrying her guitar. "Sing us a song," he asked.

Kate took the guitar from him before he could break it, and she fixed her eyes on his face.

"Pleeease," he begged, showing his white teeth, lacing the fingers of his hands, and bouncing on the tips of his toes.

"Okay, fine," she, once again gave in, yielding to her son's charms. "Which song is it going to be?"

"The Space Cowboy song!" Oliver exclaimed, getting under the covers.

"Alright."

Kate sat down at the foot of the mattress, positioned her fingers on the strings, and the Country tune started coming out from the instrument.

"'_They're suspicious of the fast track crazy girl, never thought she'd go there, guess no one really knows…'_ " Oliver knew the lyrics by heart and sang along with her, while Gigi only got a few syllables right. "'_She looked into his moonlit baby blues…'_" And Kate and Oliver looked into Gigi's bright, blue eyes. "_'Held out her hand and said, tonight you gotta choose…'_ The chorus. Ready? '_And she said, Space Cowboy, come and ride with me, Space Cowboy, ride my galaxy…'_"

* * *

"And now close your eyes and go to sleep," she murmured, switching the lights off. "Night-night."

After returning the guitar back to its corner in her office, Beckett locked the safety gate at the top landing and walked downstairs, failing at the attempt to stifle a yawn when she reached the bottom step. It had been a very long day.

As she stepped into the master bedroom, something lying across the big bed caught her attention. It was her old _Nebula 9_ costume.

"Excuse me…" Castle's voice at her back startled her. He wound his arms around her waist from behind and whispered into her ear, "I've been informed you were looking for a blue-eyed Space Cowboy?"

"How did you—?" she started but stopped when the answer popped into her mind. _Oh, of course_. He'd heard her singing to the kids through the baby-phone.

Just as she turned into his arms to face him, she noticed his clothes. A pair of brown pants with suspenders, a matching button-down shirt half open, a reddish-brown coat to his knees, leather boots, and a holster around his hips.

"Castle, what are you wearing?" she frowned.

"It's my Space Cowboy costume. I've had it for years."

"And, why are you—?"

"You put on your uniform, Lieutenant Chloe," Castle cut her off. "The ship is about to take off," he murmured against her skin, kissing her jaw.

"Castle, I'm really tired." Yet her arms wrapped loosely around his neck.

"Oh honey, please… I spent all day long nursing, cooking and playing with two kids under the age of four. I really need some quality _grown-up bonding time_." Always so deft with his choice of words.

Castle started unbuttoning the front of her shirt with one hand while he tangled the other in her hair, tilting her head to the right to have better access to the soft spot in her neck. She couldn't keep from moaning when his lips sucked on the sensitive skin of her throat. Soon she found herself succumbing to his persuasive and stimulating actions, and she answered in kind, hungrily catching Castle's mouth with hers. A deep chuckle vibrated inside his chest when he realized that, once again, he'd had his way. His jacket soon fell to the floor at his feet. Kate started walking them backwards and, as they landed on the bed, the kids' soft giggles sounded in the bedroom.

"_Oh god!"_ Kate exhaled breathless. They both looked around, quickly scanning the room with their eyes, but the door was closed and they were alone. Her head sunk back into the comforter and she let out a sigh of relief.

"It came from the baby-phone," Castle murmured, and they heard Oliver's voice coming through the receiver on the night stand again.

"_Gigi, you're tickling me!"_ Oliver chuckled.

"Uh… I make sure they go to sleep, you put on your suit." Castle quickly kissed her one more time before standing up. "I'll be right back, Lieutenant," he said from the doorway with a wink.

"Castle!" Kate propped herself up on her elbows. "You can't go upstairs dressed like that!"

He looked down at himself for a moment. Then he took off the boots and holster, and hurried out the room, closing the door behind him.

Beckett fell back onto the mattress, slightly shaking her head and laughing to herself. Lying sprawled across the width of the bed, Kate tugged at the _Nebula 9_ costume, pulling it out from under her and, after a moment of hesitation observing the dress in her hands, she thought _'What the hell!', _it wasn't the first time she'd wore the thing for him. She undid the last two buttons and took off her shirt and slacks.

"_Alright, what's going on up here?"_ Kate heard Castle say through the baby monitor when he stepped into Oliver's room.

"_A story!"_ the kids shouted happily. That was the result of a three-hour long nap, and a dinner with too many sweets and sugar. Now they were too wired to sleep.

Once dressed in her Chloe uniform, Beckett lay down in the middle of the bed and relaxed as she listened to Castle's voice narrating, rather swiftly, the 'Three Little Pigs' tale to the kids.

* * *

"I'm baaack," he hummed as he entered the bedroom. "Oh, ho, ho, Lieutenant," he chuckled under his breath. His eyes swept the length of her bare legs, followed the curve of her hips, barely covered by the dress' short skirt. Then his gaze descended along the valley of her waist and reached her face. "Ho, ho— Oh, no, no, no, no…" His wife's eyes were closed and her features very relaxed. Castle climbed on the bed and stroked her face. "Come on, Kate. Please, don't fall asleep. Come on, babe. Wake up."

But the only sign of life that came from her was when she drew in a deep breath. Utterly disappointed, Castle fell on his back beside her, and let out a long sigh of frustration, running a hand through his hair. Suddenly, Beckett rolled on top of him and flashed a playful smirk.

"Just kidding, Cowboy," she murmured against his lips. "We're ready for launch."

* * *

**Thanks for reading ;)**

**Original Lyrics: '_Space Cowboy'_ by Ilse DeLange.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

_2 weeks and 2 days later…_

Kate stopped under the threshold, leaning against the doorframe and folding her arms over her chest, and allowed herself to enjoy the cute scene playing in front of her. Castle, who was supposedly putting the baby girl down in her crib to sleep, was standing in the middle of Gigi's bedroom with his back to Kate, playing acrobatics with the toddler. For the last five days, Beckett and Castle had been working long hours without rest on a case, leaving home at sunrise and getting back when the kids were already asleep, and it was obvious Rick had really missed them. That was why he'd decided earlier that evening he would take the day off tomorrow and go out to do something with them.

Castle raised his arms above his head, lifting Gigi in the air, and began counting to three, the girl repeating the numbers with him in her own baby language. But just before he got to three, Castle let go of Gigi only to grab her again right before she touched the floor, and she burst into laughter. Her chortle had a gurgling edge mixed with a hint of hoarseness that came from deep inside her throat, making the sound extremely adorable and irresistibly contagious. Kate had to cover up her mouth not to reveal her presence.

"Wan mo taim," Gigi babbled between giggles.

"One more time?" Castle smiled, "Alright."

Once again, Castle hoisted her up, grabbing her securely by her armpits while she kicked the air with her legs.

"Oooone…, twooooo…, and…"

Gigi smiled expectantly, the pointer finger of her left hand hooked around the corner of her slightly open mouth, and a thin trickle of drool sliding down her chin.

"Three!" And Castle released her again.

Gigi laughed out loud, opening her mouth into a big 'A' and her eyes filling with happy tears, while Castle's guffaws joined her in her joy.

"M-mm… mo…re," Gigi stammered, sighing and gasping for air, her cheeks flushed a deep red from all the laughter.

For the third time, Castle took the girl in his arms, grabbing her around her tummy, and lifted her high up, balancing her body parallel to the floor.

"Aaaaargh…!" Castle roared comically, tilting his head back to look at his daughter as he lowered her slowly over him until their faces were an inch apart. Gigi put her hands on both her father's cheeks and Castle rubbed his nose with hers and then kissed its tip. Then he uplifted her again, turning her upside down above him, making her laugh even harder. Her soft curls bounced and floated in the air, brushing Castle's face.

"You keep doing that," Beckett mentioned, "and she'll throw up on you."

Startled, Castle turned to Kate, quickly shifting Gigi against his chest. "Hey… honey… We were just… uh… I just— I was getting her into bed."

Kate studied him with her penetrating look for a long moment, enjoying how nervous he always got in this kind of situations.

"Oliver is asking for you," she finally said.

"Yeah… Yeah, sure."

Castle walked to his wife, handed Gigi over to her, and dropped a quick kiss on top of the toddler's head before crossing the hallway into Ollie's bedroom.

"Hey kid, I'm here," Castle said, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to the boy's waist, "What is it?"

"Daddy," Oliver started in a soft whisper, "tomorrow is momma's birthday."

"Yes, that's right."

"Could we make her a surprise breakfast? Bring it to her in bed before she wakes up?"

"That is a great idea, buddy. But…" Castle cast a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure his wife couldn't overhear, and lowered his voice to a breathy murmur, "we would have to be extremely cautious. Your mother cannot find out. How do you propose we do it?"

The boy pondered for a moment, puckering his lips and furrowing his brows. "We have to get up very, very early without mommy knowing."

"Yeah… But how? … Aha!" Castle held up a finger when an idea popped into his head. He bent over Oliver and murmured. "I know. This is what we're gonna do…

And they started plotting all the details of the operation they called 'Operation Pancakes'.

* * *

[6:30 am – Oliver's bedroom – First stage OPERATION PANCAKES]

"_Oliver… wake up. It's time to get up… Ooollie."_ The boy rolled onto his back and slowly opened his eyes. Little by little he began to discern the shapes of his room as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of his beside lamp. All the while, his father's voice kept talking to him in a low tone. "_Oliver, buddy… Get out of bed…_" Ollie looked around him and saw that his dad's voice was coming from the lit iPad on his nightstand. _"…The first phase of Operation Pancakes has just started."_

And then he remembered. It was his mother's birthday. Oliver got out of bed, grabbed his flashlight and stepped out into the hallway. Making sure he left the safety gate locked at the top of the stairs, he descended the steps one at a time, holding on to the railing to keep from tripping over, and training the beam of his flashlight in front of his feet. But when he reached the bottom landing and turned to the left to get down the last few treads, he slipped on his socks. He managed to stop the fall by clutching the banister with both hands, but the flashlight escaped from between his fingers. Holding his breath, Oliver remained very still while the loud noise echoed in the big open space. When everything grew quiet again, he walked down the last four steps and crossed to his parents' bedroom door. He clicked off the flashlight, knelt down and opened slowly —just enough to sneak inside. Crawling silently on all fours, he circled the bed to his dad's side. Castle's arm dangled from the edge of the mattress from underneath the covers. Oliver only had to grab his fingers and give them a small tug.

The mission's first phase had been successfully completed.

* * *

[7:02 am – Kitchen – Second stage OPERATION PANCAKES]

So far, everything was going as planned. Castle had taken the baby-phone and his wife's cell phone out with him from the bedroom to minimize the possibilities of Beckett waking earlier than wished. Also, as an extra precaution and as an early birthday token, he'd woken her two hours before for a short session of pre-dawn _exercise_. He thought _that_ would keep her asleep for another long while and buy him and Oliver some extra time to make breakfast.

"Okay, let's see…" Castle examined the contents in the large tray. "We have orange juice, coffee, your chocolate milk," he pointed a finger to Oliver who was perched on the countertop, "your sister's bottle, scrambled eggs, bread rolls, croissants, and of course pancakes. Did we forget anything?

"Mmm… A flower?"

"You're right!"

They went out onto the balcony of Castle's office and picked the only flowers that bloomed in mid-November, small light purple flowers with bright orange stamens.

"Alright," Castle said, placing the tiny vase holding three autumn-crocuses in the only empty space left in the tray. "We're all set. Now, the only thing missing is your baby sis—"

"_Daaada…, daaada…, maaama…, maaama…"_ From the baby-phone's receiver came Gigi's soft voice, singing sweetly. In the monitor screen she could be seen lying on her back in her crib. She'd kicked the sheets down and was rocking from side to side, holding her feet in her hands through the strawberry-pattern footed pajamas.

* * *

[7:14 am – Master bedroom– Third stage OPERATION PANCAKES]

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear mommy, happy birthday to you!" one low and two high-pitched voices sang in chorus.

With her face buried in the pillow, Kate turned her head slightly and peeked one eye open to find three smiling faces staring back at her. Standing next to the bed were Castle —holding a tray—, and Oliver and Gigi, whose head barely reached to see over the edge of the mattress.

"Hi…" Beckett yawned and sat upright, leaning against the headboard. "What's this?"

"Happy birthday, momma," Oliver said, climbing onto the bed and snuggling against his mother's side. "We made you breakfast."

"Oh, wow! Really?" Kate reached down and gave Gigi's butt a boost, helping the toddler hoist herself up, and pulling her onto her lap. "What a surprise!"

Walking around the bed, Castle set the tray down in the middle of the mattress, careful not to jostle and spill the drinks, and sat down as well. Gigi tried to slip away from her mother's arms but Beckett held her more tightly against her. Then Castle leaned in over Oliver towards Kate. "Happy birthday, beautiful," he whispered in her ear and then kissed her deeply. She pressed herself to him, squeezing Ollie between hers and Castle's chest.

"I want too," interrupted the boy a moment later, pulling his parents apart.

"Hey!" Castle complained, "I'm trying to kiss my girl!"

"She's _my_ girl."

"Momma is yours? I thought Gigi was your girl."

"They're both mine." Oliver opened his arms wide possessively in front of both his mother and his baby sister.

"Okay, okay," Beckett intervened, "I'm everybody's girl. Now, can we eat? 'Cause I'm starving and the food is growing cold." Castle distributed baby bottles, chocolate milk sippy cups and glasses of juice. "When did you do all this?" she asked, eyeing the great selection of contents in the tray and fishing a small croissant from a plate.

"_That_ is a secret," Castle commented, winking down at his son and exchanging a knowing look with him.

"So you two have been conspiring behind my back?" Kate pointed out, addressing the boy.

"Yep," he replied proudly, showing a straight line of small white teeth, and sat back, sinking into the pillows. His mother observed him with a serious face and then smiled widely.

"Thank you, love." She wiped the tiny chocolate milk mustache off his upper lip and kissed him. "I really loved it."

* * *

**Like I've previously said, I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Just wanted to thank the patience of everyone who follows this and/or my other stories. Thank you very much. And now, a festive air to celebrate the tenth chapter of this story! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

_1 month and 9 days later…_

"Gimme!"

"No, Gigi! Let go, that's mine!" Oliver tried to snatch back the toy car his baby sister had stolen from him, but Gigi screeched and fought back, refusing to let go of it. The girl managed to break free and ran off —sprinting around the sitting area and miraculously dodging the huge Christmas tree— to hide underneath her father's desk, but Oliver followed her, throwing himself under the table after her. "Gigi, give me back my car!"

"No!"

The kids re-engaged in their fight over the toy and Gigi uttered a loud shriek. The high-pitched sound travelled all the way from Castle's office to the kitchen and pierced Beckett's ears. It seemed hard to believe such a loud, shrill sound could come out from such a tiny person. Beckett looked up and let out a long sigh when she spotted the kids wrestling and dragging themselves over the floor.

"Kids!" she yelled but they ignored her. If they kept going like this they would ruin their new outfits. They were both dressed very elegant for the occasion. Oliver wore navy blue dress pants with suspenders, a white button-down shirt, a green bow tie and shiny shoes. Gigi looked like a princess in her red dress, the hem of the skirt trimmed with floral ruffles and a ribbon adorning the waistline. Ivory tights and red ballet flats completed her outfit. "Romy! Oliver! Enough!" Nothing. They still didn't listen. "Santa won't bring you presents!" she tried but the warning didn't work either. A small growl escaped from her lips. It was already enough stress having to organize a Christmas Eve dinner for the whole family; she didn't need to add the job of having to constantly run after the little ones every time they argued or fought.

"I got it, Katie" Jim said.

"Oh, thanks dad."

Jim Beckett stopped setting the table and crossed the living room to the office. He pulled both kids from under the desk and, crouching on the floor, he placed himself between them. Gigi moved further back to seek refuge behind her grandfather.

It was the fourth Christmas that Kate's father was spending in the loft with them. The first year had been hard. It had taken all that he had to put the past behind him, to see the holidays as more than a simple reminder of what he'd lost so many years ago, and be able to celebrate again. But everything changed when Oliver was born. The arrival of grandchildren brought back a smile to Jim's face in that time of the year. The magic of innocence…

"What's going on here?" Beckett heard her father ask his grandchildren.

"She took my car!" Oliver whined, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

"You have lots of cars," Jim tried to reason with him. "Why don't you play with those and let Gigi have this one."

"But that one is my favorite…" the boy whimpered.

Kate checked the food cooking in the oven and stepped over to the study's door.

"Oliver, you know you have to share your things with your sister," Jim Beckett continued. "You two can play together."

The boy eventually nodded but didn't look convinced, and when he saw his mother leaning against the bookcase, he ran to her and hugged her legs, burying his face into the skirt of her dress. Kate grabbed him by his armpits and scooped him up in her arms.

"And that goes for you too, young lady," Jim informed his granddaughter, who was still propped against his side. "You have to play together." The toddler nodded, serious. "Good."

As Jim rose to his feet Gigi seized the moment to slip out of the office and tiptoe back to the play corner. Jim looked at his daughter and the boy in her arms —he was weeping silently with his face pressed against his mother's shoulder— and tilted his head slightly to one side.

"You know he's very sensitive," Beckett murmured. "Don't worry, dad."

"He had to inherit something from his father," Jim joked in a hushed tone so his voice wouldn't reach Castle's ears, in the room next door. "Don't get upset, Ollie," the grandfather whispered into his grandson's ear before going back to the kitchen and finish up setting the table.

"Don't cry, love." Kate wiped away the tears and kissed him. "You wanna go play with your sister?"

Oliver rubbed his eyes and nodded. Beckett dropped another kiss on the tip of his nose and put him on the floor. When the boy approached Gigi, she handed him the toy car and continued playing with another one. Beckett smiled and headed back to the kitchen.

"Kate!" came Castle's yell from the master bedroom. "Where's my bow tie!"

"It's in the top drawer!" she threw back over her shoulder.

She got back to finish preparing the appetizers when her husband's head poked around the bedroom door. "I can't find it!"

Men, Beckett thought, they just couldn't do anything on their own. Huffing in annoyance and exchanging a knowing look with her father, Kate grudgingly marched toward the bedroom. "Castle, I told you it's in the first drawer," she said upon entering the room.

"I already looked and it's not there."

"And, what's this?" she asked, pulling a blue bow tie from the dresser's top drawer.

"Huh… It wasn't there a moment ago."

"Did you make the effort of moving the socks aside to _not_ find the bow tie?" she remarked with a touch of sarcasm and externalizing her impatience. "Because that's what is commonly known as looking, honey. After nearly nine years of _detecting_ with me you should know." Kate walked over to him, draped the bow tie ribbon around his neck and lifted the collar of his shirt.

"Did I mention how incredibly beautiful you look today?" Castle murmured as Kate passed one end of the ribbon through the loop.

"Only a hundred times."

"I love this dress." His fingers grazed the green satin around her waist and then he added in a deep, low whisper, "And I will love it even more when I take it off you tonight." Beckett's gaze rose from the bow tie to Castle's eyes and he wiggled his brows and gave her a mischievous smile. She pulled the knot. "Hey! Not so tight!" he exclaimed in a strangled voice, "You're choking me!"

"Then stop, for once, thinking only about sex." Kate readjusted the bow tie and lowered her hands. "Are you nervous?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Is it that obvious?" he sighed out. Castle was dying to see Alexis again. She'd been away for three and a half months, studying in Oxford. Everyone had missed her, but her father had missed her the most. Martha had gone to the airport to pick her up and they should be arriving soon.

"Well. Now she's back and—" Castle cut her off mid-sentence by racing out of the room at the sound of the front door opening.

"Hi everybody!" Alexis called out when she walked in, followed by her grandmother. Castle squeezed his daughter into a tight hug while Martha rolled the two suitcases of luggage inside the loft.

"Alexis!" Oliver squealed from the other end of the living room and rushed to the front hall. Gigi rose to her feet and hopped after him at a slower pace.

The redhead opened her arms wide and the boy crashed into her. "Hi there, munchkin!" Alexis smiled and dropped a dozen kisses on Ollie's cheek. "You've grown!"

"Did you bring us present?" the boy asked cheerfully.

"Oliver!" Kate chided, but Alexis just chuckled and murmured an "It's okay". Then she shifted Oliver to one side of her hip so she could wrap an arm around Kate. "Hi honey," Becket smiled, embracing her stepdaughter. "How was your flight?"

"It was fine." Alexis noticed Jim's presence in the room and greeted him as well. Then she turned back to Kate, "But I'm exhausted." Castle reappeared at his daughter's side and put an arm around her shoulders and brushed another kiss on her hair. "I've been awake for more hours than I can count. And with the different time zones…"

Beckett gazed down and saw that poor Gigi, 32 inches tall and surrounded by so many adults, was waiting patiently at Alexis' feet with her head tilted upwards and puckered lips.

"Alexis," Kate murmured with a chuckle and motioned with her eyes for her to look down. The redhead took a step back and saw Gigi waiting for a kiss.

"Oh, Gigi! Princess!" Alexis exclaimed, putting Oliver down on the floor. "I didn't see you there!" She picked the toddler up and kissed her.

* * *

"Oliver, Gigi," Kate started, "Will you please stop banging on the piano? The grown-ups are trying to have a conversation."

After dinner, and after the kids' insistence, it had fallen upon Alexis the task of changing them into their pajamas. Then, the grown-ups had settled in the sitting area; Alexis sandwiched between Martha and Castle on the sofa, and Jim and Kate seated in the armchairs in front of them. Kate noticed she wasn't the only one who'd surreptitiously kicked off her heels. At both Martha's and Alexis' feet lay their discarded shoes.

For the past twenty minutes, the young redhead had been sharing stories and anecdotes of her stay in England. Gigi —with a pacifier in her mouth and carrying the rag doll that Alexis had brought for her from Europe— slipped off the piano bench, crossed over to the couch and climbed onto her big sister's lap.

"So, the same afternoon that we got to London," Alexis continued, gently running her fingers through Gigi's curls, "Sarah and I were at the station, waiting for the _Tube, _"Alexis spoke the word with exaggerated British accent, "when I turn around and…"

"Momma," Oliver, standing next to her, called and softly touched her hand.

"Just a second, sweetie. Momma is listening."

"Momma," he insisted, clutching her hand and shaking her arm. "Can I have some candy? Can I have some candy?"

"Uh… Yeah, okay. But just one bag," she answered absentmindedly.

Oliver went to the kitchen, climbed on top of the counter to grab an individual bag of Skittles and carried it to the small, blue plastic table at the play corner. Gigi slid off Alexis' legs and sat with Ollie. A few minutes later, Alexis was about to tell them about the Hollywood celebrity that had flown back with her from London when Martha suddenly interrupted her.

"RICHARD!" the woman exclaimed, horrified. She was pointing with her arm right behind Kate. "She's choking!"

Beckett whipped her head around and was already jumping out of the armchair before anyone had even had time to react. Gigi was standing near the office's threshold, her small hands on her throat, her face red and her tongue sticking out, and struggling to breathe, gasping for air. Kate checked the inside of her mouth in a second but when she didn't see anything there, she scooped her daughter in her arms, turned her around and held her face down, her head lower than her chest, and delivered firm back blows between the girl's shoulder blades. After a few seconds —which seemed hours— something small shot out from the girl's mouth and she started to chough and cry.

"Is she alright?!" Castle asked, alarmed. Kate hadn't realized he was standing right next to her.

The detective straightened herself up and shifted Gigi in her arms, pulling her against her chest. The toddler was sobbing bitterly and trembling from head to toe while her parents made sure she could breathe easily again.

"She's okay." Kate exhaled in relief. "It's okay, it's over," she said to both Castle and Gigi. When she brushed back a few curly locks from the girl's eyes, Kate noticed her hand was shaking a lot. Castle noticed it too.

"Come on, sit down." Her husband looped an arm around her shoulders and led her back to the easy chair. She flopped down onto the cushions and held Gigi close against her chest, trying to quiet the loud crying and hiccupping from her daughter as well as to calm herself down. Not only were her hands shaking with the sudden adrenaline rush; her heartbeat was going a thousand miles per hour.

"My god… The scares this girl is going to give us," Martha said, easing back down onto the couch. "She'll be the death of us."

Jim came up to Kate and handed her Gigi's sippy cup, filled with water, and a pacifier.

"Thanks dad." Beckett offered Gigi some water. Then, burying her face into her daughter's hair, she rubbed the toddler's back and rocked her gently back and forth.

"What did she choke on?" Alexis asked as Castle bent over to pick up the cause of the incident.

"It's a Skittle," he mumbled to himself, turning the small, yellow piece of candy on his palm. Then he lifted his gaze and found Oliver standing by the couch. "Did you give candy to your sister?" Castle asked, stepping over to him. The boy looked with frightened eyes from his father to his baby sister and back again. "Oliver, I asked you something," Castle added a little too harshly.

"I— I have to share with Gigi," he answered, his voice so small it was barely audible. His bottom lip quivered. "I let her take a few."

"You should ask first if—" Castle started to scold his son but Beckett cut him off.

"_Rick_." The detective hit him with a look that said "That's enough". When her eyes met with her son's teary ones, he began to cry. Kate opened one arm and the boy immediately ran to her. She wrapped the arm securely around his back and pulled him up onto her lap. Holding her kids against her, she comforted them both.

When Kate looked up again, her gaze found Castle's, and the expression of remorse on his face stated he knew he'd crossed the line; he'd been carried away by the heat of the moment. With slightly hunched shoulders, Castle walked over to them and knelt on the floor.

"Oliver," he murmured, softly running a hand over the boy's hair. "Hey, buddy…" Oliver turned his head and looked at him from the corner of one eye. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It wasn't your fault. Daddy just got really scared." Castle's eyes moved up to Kate's face for a second before gliding back down to Oliver. "Just promise that, from now on, you will ask mom or dad before giving anything to your sister, OK?" Oliver nodded slowly against his mother's chest. "Do I get a hug?" Castle asked with a small grin, extending his hands to Ollie.

Kate watched as Oliver sat up just enough for Castle to wrap his arms around him. Father and son hugged for half a minute and Castle kissed him behind his ear before letting go. Kate curled her hand around the back of her husband's neck, giving him a little squeeze.

"Am I forgiven?" Castle asked Oliver.

"Yes," the boy replied, resting his head again on Kate's chest.

Smiling, Castle kissed him and Gigi one last time before rising to his feet. "So," he exclaimed, turning to face the others. "Does anyone want a drink?"

* * *

Ten minutes later it was as if nothing had happened. Alexis had picked up the conversation where they'd left it before she had been interrupted, and Gigi —who was smiling again— had moved from her mother's to her grandfather's lap. Sitting sideways across his legs, the baby girl extended her arms in front of her and looked up at her grandpa as if waiting for something.

"Dad, she wants you to tickle her," Beckett told him.

"Is that so?" Jim pushed one of his granddaughter's sleeves up and started stroking her chubby arm up and down with his fingertips. "You know that, when you were little, you used to do exactly the same, Katie?"

"Yes," she smiled, "I remember."

"Every time we were on the couch at night, you would sit down between your mother and me, and we would have to tickle you. We each got one arm and one leg." Jim smiled, remembering the scene he'd just described. "The times I had to carry you to bed because you'd fallen asleep."

"It looks like this young lady is following the same path," Martha chimed in, gesturing towards the toddler in Jim's arms. And, sure enough, Gigi's eyes were already sliding shut.

"Momma," Oliver whispered, still nestled against her in the armchair.

"What is it," she said, using the same soft tone.

Oliver cupped a hand around his mouth and said softly in her ear, "Is Alexis staying for the night?"

"I don't know," she whispered. "Why don't you ask her?"

Oliver glided off the easy chair, crossed over to the couch and sat on his big sister's lap, facing her. "Alexis… Are you going to sleep here tonight?" he asked in a murmur.

"Oh. Uhm… I don't know…" Alexis pretended to ponder over it while lacing her fingers together behind her brother's back. "Where would I sleep?"

"In the guest bed, of course," Oliver said, circling his arms around her neck. "And I'll sleep with you."

"Hmm… Alright," she smiled.

* * *

"Katie," Jim murmured, "I'm gonna get going. Can you take her?" The man gestured toward Gigi, who was sound asleep in his arms.

"I'll take her," Castle said, rising from the couch. The girl let out a small moan and stretched out her limbs for a second when she was transferred to Castle's arms but her head quickly fell on her father's shoulder and she continued to sleep peacefully.

After Jim Beckett said his goodbyes to Martha and Alexis, Kate walked with him to the front door.

"Well, honey…" Jim turned to her and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Is around ten thirty okay?" She opened the door for him.

"Sure. I'll be here at ten thirty." He took a step out into the hallway. "Good night!" he waved to everyone inside the home.

"Bye, grandpa!"

"Night, dad. See ya tomorrow." Beckett waited until he got into the elevator and then walked back inside.

* * *

"I think I'm a little too old to be tucked in by my father," Alexis mentioned as Castle draped the comforter over her and Oliver. "But…" a yawn escaped and she covered her mouth, "…I like it."

Castle's lips curled up and he bent down to kiss her forehead. When he leaned over Alexis to kiss Ollie, the boy wrapped his arms securely around his neck and pulled him down as he pressed a big kiss to his mouth. Castle had to tickle him so he would let go.

"And now to sleep, otherwise Santa won't come tonight," Castle told his son.

"Check under the bed, daddy," Oliver asked.

Castle exchanged a glance with Alexis and then crouched down and peeked under the mattress. "No monsters," he confirmed.

Kate came into the bedroom and walked over to Oliver's side. "Good night, sweetheart." Leaning down, she pecked his lips. She was walking back to the door when the boy's voice stopped her.

"Momma, you have to give Alexis a kiss."

Three different chuckles slipped from the mouths of the three adults in the room. The redhead shrugged and Kate moved to her side to kiss her goodnight. "Are you happy now?" she asked her son. He displayed a pleased smile and nodded. "Alright then. Now close your eyes or there will be no presents."

"Sweet dreams, kids," Castle murmured. He flicked the lights off and he and Kate walked out of the room.

"Hallway light!" they heard Oliver shout after them. Kate switched on a small lamp in the hall and cracked the bedroom door.

"There are some things he hasn't inherited from you, uh?" Castle said as they descended the stairs. "Unlike you, he needs a night light. And he'll soon be four and, luckily, he still believes in Santa Claus."

"And let him keep on believing," Beckett replied sincerely, which surprised Castle. He knew his wife had discovered the truth about Santa when she was three years old.

"No need to worry, babe," he joked, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. "We have a fireplace."

* * *

**Thank you guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Please, indulge my stubbornness for wanting to publish this little piece that started as an interlude between chapters but has ended up becoming a chapter of its own. However, I have a vague feeling that some of you won't mind at all, right? Hahaha… As always, hope it's of your liking and forgive any typos you may find, they have a wicked way of hiding from my searching eyes.**

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.**

* * *

_Four hours later…_

When Alexis woke at 2:30 am —the fact immediately evoked a silent curse directed at the European time to echo in the depths of her mind— she saw that Oliver had taken over two thirds of the mattress, arms and legs spread width and lengthwise. She spent the next forty minutes turning and twisting around in her third of the bed —this time difference thing really was a pain— until she finally drifted back to sleep. Her eyes opened again about an hour later and found half of Oliver's body sprawled on top of hers. An unpleasant tingle coursed up and down the arm she had trapped under the boy's torso. Alexis pulled it out with the utmost care not to wake Ollie and then snuggled with him in the middle of the bed to try and get some more sleep.

* * *

She couldn't tell if she was dreaming or if she was awake but something similar to the caress of a feather was brushing her cheek and a soft voice seemed to whisper near her ear the same word over and over.

"Lessis…"

And there it was again. Maybe she wasn't dreaming after all. Alexis peeked open one eyelid and found Gigi's blue eyes just inches from her face, the wide light beam that seeped in from the hallway through the open bedroom door subtly illuminating the side of her angelic face.

"Lessis…" Gigi burbled once more, a white dummy in her mouth and her small and chubby fingers touching her cheek. The baby girl was standing on the tips of her toes to peer over the edge of the bed, and when she saw that her big sister had opened her eyes, she exhibited a lovely smile behind the pacifier.

"Gigi..." Alexis checked the time on her watch. Oh, no. 5:14 am. "Did you get out of your crib again?" The toddler extended her arms upward and bounced once on her toes, silently communicating she wanted to be scooped up. With much effort, Alexis grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her up on top of her. "Hello, princess," Alexis whispered, tucking a wavy strand of soft, brown hair behind Gigi's ear. "It's still early… Why don't we try to get a little more sleep, okay?"

She helped the toddler get under the covers between her and Oliver, and then started stroking her back with her fingertips. Gigi reached out and curled her small hand around Alexis' ear. The toddler soon drifted back to dreamland and Alexis followed a few minutes later.

Unfortunately, this following nap didn't last very long. At 6:22, not only Gigi but Oliver as well was awake. The girl crawled on top of Alexis and sat on her stomach while Ollie knelt beside her head.

"Alexis, can we go open the presents?" the boy asked with a big grin of expectation painted on his face.

"Pezents," Gigi babbled, bouncing on the redhead's belly, causing all air to be expelled from her chest in sharp, sudden puffs.

"Oh-ho…" Alexis uttered in short, intermittent gusts of breath, quickly stopping the baby girl's enthusiastic movements. "Shouldn't we wait—," a yawn slipped in the middle of the sentence, "—for mom and dad to wake up?"

"Aw…" Oliver pouted.

"Although…" An idea, or rather a memory of her childhood, crossed Alexis' mind. It was something she used to do on Christmas morning when she was little and, perhaps, it would be fun to teach it to the kids.

* * *

The hundreds of twinkling lights sparkling in the Christmas tree lit their way down the stairs. When Oliver and Gigi caught sight of the huge amount of presents under the tree, their innocent eyes almost popped out of their sockets and Alexis had to quickly cover up their mouths to silence them before their shrilling squeals of pure and exhilarated euphoria would blow her plan. They gathered near the front door, just around the corner from the master bedroom's anteroom, and the redhead crouched in front of them, bringing herself to their eye level.

"Alright, let's see…" Alexis started in a low whisper, "You're going to walk in quietly, you're going to climb up the bed and then you'll start jumping on the mattress and yell really loud "It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" to wake up mom and dad, understood?" Both kids nodded. The degree of excitement radiating from Oliver was almost palpable. "Very good. Now, shhh… let's go."

Alexis moved first, tiptoeing into the anteroom with the other two following in a single file, and opened the door silently so the kids could slip in through the small gap. Just a few seconds later the din began and one of the grown-ups switched on a bedside lamp. Leaning against the door frame outside the bedroom, Alexis couldn't keep a big smirk from spreading across her lips upon hearing the kids' giggles and high-pitched exclamations, and the groans of complaint and the couple of '_Oh, god_'s and '_No_'s coming out of Kate's and her father's mouths. In the end, she couldn't resist anymore and poked her head around the door just in time to see Oliver jump high in the air and launch himself squarely on Castle's stomach, leaving him without a single drop of oxygen in his lungs and aiming his right knee to land right into his father's crotch.

"Thank you… Alexis…" the writer choked out, his voice sounding totally strangled, "…for teaching them this."

"It's been an absolute pleasure, dad." She smiled proudly and then added, "Coffee?"

"Please," Kate commented, bleary-eyed and running a hand through her hair, the other occupied in keeping a firm grip around Gigi's arm so she wouldn't fall off the bed; the baby girl was still very excited bouncing and hopping between her mother's knees.

* * *

Half an hour later, the light of dawn was beginning to peep between the buildings, painting the clouds with pastel shades of orange, pink and violet. Inside, it looked as if a twister had emptied a toy store and dropped all its contents in the loft's living room. Every square foot was carpeted with baby dolls, remote control cars, stuffed animals, train sets, puzzles, storybooks and board games. Castle was transferring the big mound of shredded wrapping paper and torn cardboard boxes into a garbage bag. Meanwhile, with caffeine already flowing through their veins, Kate and Alexis sat next to each other on the couch, holding in one hand their second cup of coffee and, in the other, a toy teacup Gigi had handed them. They were entertained watching the kids play with their new toys. It had been magical to see their happy faces when opening the presents from Santa, their beaming smiles so huge that threatened to split their faces in two.

Oliver was cycling around the sitting area on his new big-boy bike —the scream he'd let out after he'd ripped the wrapping off the gigantic box had made the walls tremble. Gigi was playing with her child-size wooden kitchen, fully equipped with pans and pots, dishes, plastic food, and a miniature coffee and tea china set.

"Hey, there's another present here," Castle mentioned, kneeling down to reach for the small package —not much bigger than a box of matches— hidden under the lower branches of the Nordmann Fir, near the tree's stand.

"Who is it for?" Oliver slid off the bicycle and rushed to his father's side, rising on his toes to try and steal the present from his hands. "Who is it for, daddy?"

"It says it's for 'Alexis'," he replied, reading the name scribbled on the card.

Castle stepped over to the couch and handed his daughter the gift with a grin on his face, a grin that, in Alexis' opinion, was suspicious. Oliver climbed on the sofa and stood next to the redhead's side as she untied the bow and tore off the shiny red paper. When she raised her gaze to her father for a brief second, she thought she caught him exchanging a fleeting look with Kate.

"A key?" Oliver said, confused, when Alexis lifted the box's lid.

He was right; it was a key, embedded in a white velvet-lined padded cushion.

"What the…?" Alexis breathed out. The key's head had a black rubber handle with the logo of… Oh, my god. OH. MY. GOD. "This is— Dad. It's— but— …What?" All that burst out of her mouth were incoherencies, the same ones that echoed in her utterly stunned, shocked brain. "No, it can't be… Really? A car? _A CAR?!"_

Castle nodded, with an ear-to-ear smile. Alexis jumped off the couch and sprang straight into her father's arms. She squealed and articulated high-pitched exclamations of joy as he lifted her off the floor and hugged her tightly.

Oliver was still a bit confused, so he crawled over to his mother and asked her, "Did Santa bring Alexis a car?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

"Uh-hu…" He glanced back up to his father and Alexis, his brows furrowed as if pondering and his head slightly tilted to the side. "I think I'll ask for a car next year, too."

* * *

**Thank you!**

**Swing by my profile to vote on a specific detail regarding a possible new chapter. Thanks in advance!**


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